Urine from chronic hepatitis B virus carriers: Implications for infectivity

✍ Scribed by Knutsson, Mikael; Kidd-Ljunggren, Karin

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 185 KB
• Volume: 60
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(200001)60:1<17::aid-jmv3>3.0.co;2-1

✦ Synopsis

Horizontal transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) without apparent sexual or parenteral exposure is common in hyperendemic areas. In most cases, the route of transmission is unknown. To investigate urine as a potential source of infection, serum and urine from 56 chronic hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers were examined for the presence of HBV DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Thirty-four of the patients were anti-hepatitis B e antigen (anti-HBe) positive and 22 were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive. HBV DNA was detected in serum from 46 patients (82%) and in urine from 28 patients (50%). Most HBeAgpositive patients had HBV DNA detectable in urine (91%), whereas urine samples from anti-HBe-positive patients were found to contain HBV DNA to a lesser extent (24%). When comparing HBV DNA from serum and urine by an end-point titration PCR, a titration difference averaging 10 3 was found between serum and urine. A significant female predominance was also noted among the positive urine samples (P < 0.05), which was not correlated to the presence of haematuria. Detection of HBV DNA may indicate active viral replication, and thereby infectivity. Because a high proportion of chronic HBV carriers were found to have HBV DNA in urine, it is suggested that irrespective of HBeAg/anti-HBe status, urine should be regarded as a potential route of transmission and therefore be investigated further as a means of horizontal and nosocomial transmission of HBV.