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Southern hybridisation analysis of HBV DNA in peripheral blood leucocytes and of different cell types: Changes during the natural history and with interferon‐α therapy in patients with hepatitis B virus infection
Author(s) -
Catterall A. P.,
MurrayLyon I. M.,
Zuckerman A. J.,
Harrison T. J.
Publication year - 1994
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.1890430314
Subject(s) - peripheral blood mononuclear cell , hbeag , virology , hepatitis b virus , hbsag , immunology , virus , hepadnaviridae , medicine , hepatitis , hepatitis b , orthohepadnavirus , biology , in vitro , biochemistry
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 50 individuals utilising Southern hybridisation analysis. HBV DNA sequences were detected in PBMC from 16/29 (55 percent) of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers with serum HBeAg and HBV DNA, compared with 1/8 (13%) of carriers with anti‐HBe and HBV DNA negative ( P = NS). Two of 7 patients with previous HBV infection and chronic liver disease had detectable HBV DNA in PBMC. Of the 19 patients with HBV DNA in PBMC, 18 had high molecular weight species. In addition, five of these had free, monomeric HBV DNA and six patients had low molecular weight bands. For nine of the above patients, total peripheral blood leucocytes were separated into PBMC and polymorphonuclear cells. Four had HBV DNA in PBMC only, two only in polymorphonuclear cells and three in both types of cell. Eleven patients with chronic HBV infection were studied at monthly intervals for 6 months. Six were untreated and five received IFN‐alpha. Three patients who responded to IFN‐a had HBV DNA present in PBMC before therapy, and two became negative. Two of 3 untreated patients had intermittent HBV DNA in PBMC and the other remained persistently negative. Of the patients positive on more than one occasion, the pattern of HBV DNA was similar. Peripheral blood leucocytes often contain multimers of free HBV DNA, more commonly in patients with serum HBeAg and HBV DNA and may occur even in the absence of serum HBsAg. These findings have implications for recurrence of disease after hepatic transplantation. HBV DNA in PBMC is detected intermittently over time and IFN‐α therapy may be associated with eradication. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.