Hepatitis B and transplantation

Hepatitis B infection can add significantly to the morbidity and mortality of transplantation. Patients with hepatitis B can have severe recurrent disease following liver transplantation. Reactivation of occult disease can occur during chemotherapy or immunosuppression. Hepatitis B also can be acquired at the time of transplantation. Intensive study of transplant patients with hepatitis B has led to a new understanding of the immunobiology of hepatitis B virus.