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Effect of ethanol during hepatitis B virus infection in chimpanzees
Author(s) -
Tabor Edward,
Gerety Robert J.,
Barker Lewellys F.,
Howard Colin R.,
Zuckerman Arie J.
Publication year - 1978
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/jmv.1890020403
Subject(s) - virology , virus , hepatitis b virus , hepatitis , antibody , biology , titer , hepatitis b , ethanol , viral disease , hepatitis c virus , antigen , immunology , biochemistry
To determine whether the use of ethyl alcohol (ethanol, C 2 H 5 OH) may increase the liver damage caused by hepatitis B virus infection, ethanol was infused into four chimpanzees on one or two occasions during the course of natural or experimentally induced hepatitis B virus infections. A fifth chimpanzee, without active hepatitis B virus infection, served as a control. Moderate elevations of serum aspartate or alanine aminotransferases occurred in four of the five chimpanzees, including the control chimpanzee, in direct association with ethanol infusion; pre‐existing enzyme elevations persisted in a fifth chimpanzee. No alteration occurred in the titers of hepatitis B surface antigen or of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen in three of the four infected chimpanzees. There was no significant alteration in the course of hepatitis B virus infection by ethanol infusion in these chimpanzees.