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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Detection and Quantification of Hepatitis B Virus DNA
Published on: December 15, 2023
Prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus infection
Maria Luisa Gutiérrez-García1, Conrado M Fernandez-Rodriguez, Jose Luis Lledo-Navarro
1Service of Gastroenterology, Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón, Av Budapest-1, 28922 Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain. mlgutierrez@fhalcorcon.es
Abstract:
Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) is characterized by the persistence of HBV DNA in the liver tissue in individuals negative for the HBV surface antigen. The prevalence of OBI is quite variable depending on the level of endemic disease in different parts of the world, the different assays utilized in the studies, and the different populations studied. Many studies have been carried out on OBI prevalence in different areas of the world and categories of individuals. The studies show that OBI prevalence seems to be higher among subjects at high risk for HBV infection and with liver disease than among individuals at low risk of infection and without liver disease.
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