RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the incidence of precore mutation in HBeAg negative HBV infected patients and the therapeutic effect of the immune therapy (levamisole + HBV vaccine + dipyridamole) on patients chronically infected by HBV with precore mutation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The precore region of HBV from the HBeAg (-) chronic hepatitis patients was sequenced and the patients suffered from HBV with precore mutation were treated with immune therapy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The precore mutation rate was 10/12. The therapeutic effect of the immune therapy on the precore mutation patients (5/7) was better than that on the HBsAg(+), HBeAg(+) patients (2/11), P less than 0.05.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The precore mutation rate was quite high in the HBsAg(+), HBeAg(-) patients we studied. The immune-therapy has some therapeutic effects on the patients with precore mutation. But the number of cases was too small, further study is needed.</p>