Skip to main content
PMC home page
Gut logoLink to Gut
. 1984 Nov;25(11):1283–1287. doi: 10.1136/gut.25.11.1283

Contribution of low level HBV replication to continuing inflammatory activity in patients with anti-HBe positive chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

A S Lok, S J Hadziyannis, I V Weller, M G Karvountzis, J Monjardino, P Karayiannis, L Montano, H C Thomas
PMCID: PMC1432328  PMID: 6500366

Abstract

The relationship between the histological diagnosis and serological and tissue markers of HBV replication in 41 Greek and 29 British patients with chronic HBV infection were studied. All the nine Greek and 13 British patients who were HBeAg positive had HBV-DNA in serum and HBcAg expression in the hepatocytes. The majority (73%) of these patients had active liver disease. Forty seven per cent of the Greek and 19% of the British patients who were anti-HBe positive continued to display HBcAg in the liver with or without HBV-DNA detected in serum. All but three of these patients had persistently active liver disease. Continuing inflammatory activity in the liver, however, was also found in 31% of anti-HBe positive patients who had no evidence of HBV replication. In these patients, other factors such as delta agent, NANB viruses, alcohol abuse or an autoimmune reaction initiated by HBV may be contributory.

Full text

PDF
1283

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alter H. J., Seeff L. B., Kaplan P. M., McAuliffe V. J., Wright E. C., Gerin J. L., Purcell R. H., Holland P. V., Zimmerman H. J. Type B hepatitis: the infectivity of blood positive for e antigen and DNA polymerase after accidental needlestick exposure. N Engl J Med. 1976 Oct 21;295(17):909–913. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197610212951701. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bonino F., Hoyer B., Nelson J., Engle R., Verme G., Gerin J. Hepatitis B virus DNA in the sera of HBsAg carriers: a marker of active hepatitis B virus replication in the liver. Hepatology. 1981 Sep-Oct;1(5):386–391. doi: 10.1002/hep.1840010503. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brechot C., Hadchouel M., Scotto J., Degos F., Charnay P., Trepo C., Tiollais P. Detection of hepatitis B virus DNA in liver and serum: a direct appraisal of the chronic carrier state. Lancet. 1981 Oct 10;2(8250):765–768. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)90182-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Doherty P. C., Zinkernagel R. M. A biological role for the major histocompatibility antigens. Lancet. 1975 Jun 28;1(7922):1406–1409. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(75)92610-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dudley F. J., Fox R. A., Sherlock S. Cellular immunity and hepatitis-associated, Australia antigen liver disease. Lancet. 1972 Apr 1;1(7753):723–726. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(72)90234-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Eddleston A. L., Williams R. Inadequate antibody response to hBAg or suppressor T-cell defect in development of active chronic hepatitis. Lancet. 1974 Dec 28;2(7896):1543–1545. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)90287-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fowler M. J., Monjardino J., Weller I. V., Lok A. S., Thomas H. C. Analysis of the molecular state of HBV-DNA in the liver and serum of patients with chronic hepatitis or primary liver cell carcinoma and the effect of therapy with adenine arabinoside. Gut. 1984 Jun;25(6):611–618. doi: 10.1136/gut.25.6.611. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gudat F., Bianchi L., Sonnabend W., Thiel G., Aenishaenslin W., Stalder G. A. Pattern of core and surface expression in liver tissue reflects state of specific immune response in hepatitis B. Lab Invest. 1975 Jan;32(1):1–9. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hadziyannis S. J., Lieberman H. M., Karvountzis G. G., Shafritz D. A. Analysis of liver disease, nuclear HBcAg, viral replication, and hepatitis B virus DNA in liver and serum of HBeAg Vs. anti-HBe positive carriers of hepatitis B virus. Hepatology. 1983 Sep-Oct;3(5):656–662. doi: 10.1002/hep.1840030505. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hadziyannis S., Gerber M. A., Vissoulis C., Popper H. Cytoplasmic hepatitis B antigen in "ground-glass" hepatocytes of carriers. Arch Pathol. 1973 Nov;96(5):327–330. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hirschman S. Z. Integrator enzyme hypothesis for replication of hepatitis-B virus. Lancet. 1975 Sep 6;2(7932):436–438. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(75)90847-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hoofnagle J. H., Dusheiko G. M., Seeff L. B., Jones E. A., Waggoner J. G., Bales Z. B. Seroconversion from hepatitis B e antigen to antibody in chronic type B hepatitis. Ann Intern Med. 1981 Jun;94(6):744–748. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-94-6-744. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lieberman H. M., LaBrecque D. R., Kew M. C., Hadziyannis S. J., Shafritz D. A. Detection of hepatitis B virus DNA directly in human serum by a simplified molecular hybridization test: comparison to HBeAg/anti-HBe status in HBsAg carriers. Hepatology. 1983 May-Jun;3(3):285–291. doi: 10.1002/hep.1840030302. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. McMichael A. HLA restriction of human cytotoxic T lymphocytes specific for influenza virus. Poor recognition of virus associated with HLA A2. J Exp Med. 1978 Dec 1;148(6):1458–1467. doi: 10.1084/jem.148.6.1458. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Montano L., Miescher G. C., Goodall A. H., Wiedmann K. H., Janossy G., Thomas H. C. Hepatitis B virus and HLA antigen display in the liver during chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Hepatology. 1982 Sep-Oct;2(5):557–561. doi: 10.1002/hep.1840020508. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Okada K., Kamiyama I., Inomata M., Imai M., Miyakawa Y. e antigen and anti-e in the serum of asymptomatic carrier mothers as indicators of positive and negative transmission of hepatitis B virus to their infants. N Engl J Med. 1976 Apr 1;294(14):746–749. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197604012941402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Realdi G., Alberti A., Rugge M., Bortolotti F., Rigoli A. M., Tremolada F., Ruol A. Seroconversion from hepatitis B e antigen to anti-HBe in chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Gastroenterology. 1980 Aug;79(2):195–199. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Scotto J., Hadchouel M., Hery C., Yvart J., Tiollais P., Brechot C. Detection of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum by a simple spot hybridization technique: comparison with results for other viral markers. Hepatology. 1983 May-Jun;3(3):279–284. doi: 10.1002/hep.1840030301. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Shafritz D. A., Shouval D., Sherman H. I., Hadziyannis S. J., Kew M. C. Integration of hepatitis B virus DNA into the genome of liver cells in chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Studies in percutaneous liver biopsies and post-mortem tissue specimens. N Engl J Med. 1981 Oct 29;305(18):1067–1073. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198110293051807. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sherlock S., Thomas H. C. Hepatitis B virus infection: the impact of molecular biology. Hepatology. 1983 May-Jun;3(3):455–456. doi: 10.1002/hep.1840030327. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Takahashi K., Machida A., Funatsu G., Nomura M., Usuda S., Aoyagi S., Tachibana K., Miyamoto H., Imai M., Nakamura T. Immunochemical structure of hepatitis B e antigen in the serum. J Immunol. 1983 Jun;130(6):2903–2907. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Thomas H. C., Lok A. S. The immunopathology of autoimmune and hepatitis B virus-induced chronic hepatitis. Semin Liver Dis. 1984 Feb;4(1):36–46. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1040644. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Weller I. V., Fowler M. J., Monjardino J., Thomas H. C. The detection of HBV-DNA in serum by molecular hybridisation: a more sensitive method for the detection of complete HBV particles. J Med Virol. 1982;9(4):273–280. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890090405. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Wiedmann K. H., Bartholemew T. C., Brown D. J., Thomas H. C. Liver membrane antibodies detected by immunoradiometric assay in acute and chronic virus-induced and autoimmune liver disease. Hepatology. 1984 Mar-Apr;4(2):199–204. doi: 10.1002/hep.1840040206. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Gut are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES