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δ antigen in hepatitis B: Immunohistology of frozen and paraffin‐embedded liver biopsies and relation to HBV infection
Author(s) -
St. Öcklin Elisabeth,
Gudat Fred,
Krey Gunthild,
Dürmüller Ursula,
Gasser Markus,
Schmid Martin,
Stalder Georg,
Bianchi Leonardo
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840010308
Subject(s) - hbcag , hbsag , medicine , antigen , hepatitis b , virology , pronase , immunology , hepatitis , pathology , hepatitis b virus , biology , virus , biochemistry , trypsin , enzyme
The finding that the recently described hepatitis B (HB)‐associated delta antigen (δ Ag) is preserved in pronase‐treated, formalin‐fixed paraffin sections allowed a combined prospective and retrospective immunohistological study of its occurrence in 571 liver biopsies. Among 116 frozen biopsies (69 HBAg seropositive, 47 HBAg seronegative) and 455 paraffin‐embedded biopsies (296 HBAg seropositive, 159 HBAg‐negative), δ Ag was found in 10 HBAg seropositive patients. With the exception of 1 patient with chronic persistent HB, all had chronic‐active HB and none had acute HB; 5 patients were i.v. drug abusers. In follow‐up biopsies, the δ Agpersisted with HBsAg for as long as 6 years. The expression of δ Ag showed similarities to the HBcAg system including nuclear localization, mixed nuclear cytoplasmic expression, and coexistence with anti‐δ in blood. The findings are compatible with the hypothesis that δ Ag represents a transmissible, defective viral agent which requires HBV as a helper and may modulate, but not terminate, ongoing HBV infection.