Effect of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on chronic hepatitis B hepatic viral antigen display

Immunofluorescent and immunoperoxidase monoclonal antibody-based techniques were used to demonstrate hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and hepatitis B c antigen (HBcAg) display in the liver biopsy specimens of 45 chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers. Anti-human immunodeficiency virus (anti-HIV)-positive HBV carriers had many more HBe- and HBc-positive hepatocyte nuclei than anti-HIV-negative carriers (P less than 0.0003 and less than 0.02, respectively), and HBV-DNA levels were slightly, but not significantly, increased in the positive subjects. The number of HBe- and HBc-positive nuclei were positively correlated with serum HBV-DNA levels (P less than 0.05 comparing high serum HBV-DNA levels of greater than 2880 pg/ml and levels of 1-480 pg/ml), and were negatively correlated with disease activity (P less than 0.05 comparing those with severe chronic active hepatitis (CAH) and those with mild CAH and chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH]. These results indicate that male homosexual HBV carriers, positive for anti-HIV, may be immunosuppressed before there are clinical signs of immunodeficiency, and this allows an increased level of replication of at least one other virus (HBV).