Prevalence of hepatitis D in hepatitis B virus carriers in volunteer blood donors at Minia governorate

ABSTRACT

Background: There are many hundred carries for hepatitis B virus [HBV] and hepatitis D virus [HDV] is a defective virus that requires hepatitis B surface antigen [HBs Ag] for replication and transmission. Coinfection of HBV and HDV are usually acute, self limited infections. In contrast, a super infection causes a generally sever and acute hepatitis that most often results in chronic hepatitis D, with the suppression of HBV replication but persistence of HDV replication