ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Occult
hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) is defined as the presence of
hepatitis B virus (HBV)
deoxyribonucleic acid (
DNA ) in the
liver of individuals with undetectable
hepatitis B virus surface antigen (
HBsAg ) in the
serum . The actual
prevalence of OBI and its
clinical relevance are not yet fully understood.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the
prevalence of HBV
DNA in
liver biopsies of
HBsAg -negative
patients with chronic
liver disease of different etiologies in a
referral center in
Brazil and compare two different HBV
DNA amplification
protocols to detect HBV. DESIGN AND
SETTING: This cross-sectional
observational study was conducted at the
Liver Outpatient Clinic, Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG,
Brazil , between January 2016 and December 2019.
METHODS: HBV
DNA was investigated in 104
liver biopsy samples from individuals with chronic
liver disease of different etiologies, in whom
HBsAg was undetectable in
serum by nested-
polymerase chain reaction (nested-
PCR ), using two different
protocols .
RESULTS: OBI, diagnosed by detecting HBV
DNA using both
protocols , was detected in 6.7% of the 104 individuals investigated. Both
protocols showed a good reliability.
CONCLUSION: In addition to the differences in the
prevalence of HBV
infection in different regions, variations in the
polymerase chain reaction technique used for HBV
DNA amplification may be responsible for the large variations in the
prevalence of OBI identified in different studies. There is a need for better
standardization of the diagnostic
methods used to
diagnose this entity.