Hepatitis B Virus Replication in Southern African Blacks with HBsAg-Positive Hepatocellular Carcinoma

✍ Scribed by Ernest Song; Geoffrey M. Dusheiko; Sheila Bowyer; Michael C. Kew

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 389 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840040405

✦ Synopsis

Sera from 106 southern African blacks with hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B surface antigenemia (HBsAg) were tested for hepatitis B viral DNA (HBV-DNA) activity, HBV-DNA polymerase concentrations, and HBV e antigen (HBeAg) and antibody (anti-HBe) to investigate the state of viral replication in these patients. HBeAg and anti-HBe were detected by radioimmunoassay, HBV-DNA by molecular hybridization using a "p-labeled HBV-DNA probe, and HBV-DNA polymerase was measured by incorporation of 'H-labeled thymidine triphosphate into doublestranded HBV-DNA. HBeAg was present in 30.2% (32/106) of the patients, almost always in low titer; 63.8% of the patients were anti-HBe positive. Circulating HBV-DNA was detected in 18.8% (20/106) of patients, including 14 of 32 (43.7%) who were HBeAg positive and 6 of 74 (8.1%) who were anti-HBe positive. In most patients, only trace amounts of HBV-DNA were evident. Raised HBV-DNA polymerase activity was found in 5.6% (6/106) of the patients, all of whom were HBeAg positive and 4 of whom had detectable amounts of circulating HBV-DNA. The HBV-DNA polymerase activity was relatively low in these patients. HBV replication thus appears to be present in only a minority of southern African Blacks with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma, and when present is of low grade activity.