Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus dual infection among patients with chronic liver disease

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Detection of Low Copy Number Integrated Viral DNA Formed by In Vitro Hepatitis B Infection
11:14

Detection of Low Copy Number Integrated Viral DNA Formed by In Vitro Hepatitis B Infection

Published on: November 7, 2018

Shanmugam Saravanan1, Vijayakumar Velu, Subhadra Nandakumar

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dr. ALM Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Chennai, India. saravanan@yrgcare.org

Journal of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infection = Wei Mian Yu Gan Ran Za Zhi
|July 15, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) dual infection was found in 5.9% of chronic liver disease patients in India. Negative HBsAg status does not rule out HBV coinfection in HCV patients.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Virology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) dual infection is a significant cause of liver disease globally.
  • The prevalence of HBV/HCV coinfection among patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) is not well-established, particularly in specific regions like India.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV dual infection among patients diagnosed with chronic liver disease (CLD) in Chennai, India.
  • To investigate the clinical and virological characteristics of HBV/HCV coinfection in this patient cohort.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 251 patients with CLD were tested for HBV and HCV infection markers.
  • Tests included hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc), anti-HCV antibodies, and viral DNA/RNA using qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Main Results:

  • Coinfection with HBV and HCV was identified in 15 patients (5.9%) out of 251 CLD patients.
  • Among coinfected patients, 80% were positive for HCV-RNA and IgG anti-HBc but negative for HBV-DNA, while 20% were HBsAg-negative but positive for both HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA.
  • Coinfected patients showed significantly elevated bilirubin and alanine aminotransferase levels compared to non-coinfected individuals.

Conclusions:

  • HBV is frequently associated with underlying CLD in the studied Indian population.
  • Hepatitis B virus coinfection in patients with hepatitis C virus infection should be considered even if the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test is negative.
Abstract

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