Serum Hepatitis B Virus DNA Quantitative Analysis Using Polymerase Chain Reaction in Patients with Chronic Hepatits B Virus Infection / 대한진단검사의학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The treatment using more potent antiviral agents for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been performed widely and a highly sensitive quantification method using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that measures the HBV viral genome in sera is available. In this study, the HBV DNA level in each disease status including the inactive HBsAg carrier is evaluated. METHODS: Samples were obtained from 227 patients with chronic HBV infection that were grouped into chronic hepatitis (111), liver cirrhosis (71), and inactive HBsAg carrier (45). Quantification of HBV DNA was performed using the automated Cobas Amplicor HBV monitor test(TM). RESULTS: Among the chronic hepatitis B group (9.76 x 10(7) copies/mL), the liver cirrhosis group (4.88x10(5) copies/mL), and the inactive carrier group (3.18 x10(3)copies/mL), the medians of serum HBV DNA levels were significantly different from one group to another (P=0.000). Also, the median of HBV DNA levels in the patients with positive HBeAg (1.77 x10(8) copies/mL) was significantly higher than that of negative HBeAg (2.71 x 10(4) copies/mL) (P=0.000). In the patients with negative HBeAg, HBV DNA level in the inactive carrier group (Median 3.18 x 10(3) copies/mL) was significantly lower than that of the chronic hepatitis group (Median 2.2 x 10(5) copies/mL (P=0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The serum HBV DNA level varied among different disease groups, particularly according to HBeAg positivity. 40% of the chronic hepatitis group with negative HBeAg had HBV DNA levels below 10(5) copies/mL. Therefore, the quantitative analysis of HBV DNA using this sensitive and automated PCR method would be useful in detecting viral proliferation.