Incidence of hepatitis B viraemia, detected using the polymerase chain reaction, after successful therapy of hepatitis B virus carriers with interferon–α

✍ Scribed by Dr. William F. Carman; Spyros Dourakis; Peter Karayiannis; Mary Crossey; Rita Drobner; Howard C. Thomas

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 514 KB
• Volume: 34
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.1890340208

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Thirty‐nine patients (62 sera) who, after interferon‐α therapy for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, were seronegative for HBeAg and HBV‐DNA by dot blot hybridisation, were tested using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for residual viraemia. Overall, 59% of the HBsAg‐positive sera and 43% of the HBsAg‐negative sera were positive by PCR. All except one of the HBsAg‐negative patients had seroconverted to anti‐HBs. Between 13 and 18 months after therapy, 33% of the HBsAg‐positive and 20% of the HBsAg‐negative patients remained viraemic. Eighteen months after the end of treatment, no patient tested was positive. Twenty‐three patients were tested sequentially over periods from 1 to 43 months: Thirteen lost HBV‐DNA by PCR, three remained positive, five remained negative, and two patients relapsed. The merits and disadvantages of PCR for assessing interferon treatment of HBV carriers are discussed.