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Hepatitis B virus DNA is frequently found in liver biopsy samples from hepatitis C virus‐infected chronic hepatitis patients
Author(s) -
Koike Katsuro,
Kobayashi Midori,
Gondo Morio,
Hayashi Izumi,
Osuga Toshiaki,
Takada Shinako
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(199804)54:4<249::aid-jmv3>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - hepatocellular carcinoma , hbsag , virology , medicine , hepatitis c virus , liver biopsy , hepatitis b virus , virus , hepatitis , hepatitis b , hepatitis c , immunology , biopsy
Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are two major etiologic agents of chronic hepatitis, which is closely related to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A possible involvement of HBV co‐infection was investigated in ongoing HCV‐related liver diseases in HCV‐infected patients. A prevalence of anti‐HBc in anti‐HCV–positive/HBsAg‐negative chronic hepatitis patients and a low copy number of HBV DNA were found in most of the liver biopsy samples of anti‐HCV–positive/HBsAg‐negative patients. The present data suggest that HBV co‐infects frequently with HCV and may play an important role in the development of HCC in the anti‐HCV–positive/HBsAg‐negative patients with chronic hepatitis. J. Med. Virol. 54:249–255, 1998 . © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.