Hepatitis type C virus infection in patients with type B chronic liver disease.

Anti-c100-3 (Ortho) was determined in the sera of 152 patients with HBs antigen-positive chronic liver diseases to assess coinfection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Eleven patients (7.2%) were positive for anti-c100-3. Anti-CP-9 (Okamoto) and HCV-RNA (RT-PCR) were also examined in these 11 patients. Anti-CP-9 was detected in 7 patients and HCV-RNA was detected in all 11 patients. Four of the 11 anti-c100-3-positive patients were positive for HBe antigen (HBeAg) and others were negative. In 8 of the 11 patients, HCV was suspected to be superinfected by blood transfusion. In HBeAgpositive patients, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) was elevated in relation to active replication of HBV shown by DNA-polymerase activity. The histological findings showed chronic active hepatitis, with or without cirrhosis. On the other hand, in HBeAg-negative patients, SGPT fluctuated without evidence of active replication of HBV. Active inflammation in the liver was observed in 3 of 5 HBeAg-negative patients by liver biopsy. These findings suggest that HBV might play an important role in chronic active inflammation in HBeAg-positive patients coinfected with HCV, and that HCV might be responsible for continuous inflammation in HBeAg-negative patients coinfected with HCV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]