Demonstration of Hepatitis B Virus DNA by Polymerase Chain Reaction in Peripheral Blood Bononuclear Cells after Recovery from Acute Viral Hepatitis

Myung, Seung Jae; Lee, Yung Sang; Kim, Hyung Gun; Lee, Geun Chan; Park, Neung Hwa; Chung, Young Hwa; Suh, Dong Jin

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Negative seroconversion of HBsAg with the appearance of anti-HBs and normalization of serum transarninase level have been generally accepted as an evidence of a cure of hepatitis B, and viral clearance. However, there are growing evidences that the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome persists after those events. HBV DNA could be detected from the serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and liver tissue by sensitive PCR method, even when HBsAg is undetectable from the serum during the course of chronic hepatitis B. The aim of this study is to demonstrate whether HBV might persist in the circulation after complete serologic and clinical recovery from acute hepatitis and its clinical manifestations implications.
METHODS
We tried to detect HBV DNA from the serum and PBMC of 24 healthy individuals (male 16, female 8) with a history of self-limited acute hepatitis B infection using the PCR-Southern hybridization.
RESULTS
The mean duration from the onset of acute hepatitis to the time of sampling was 19+11 months, and HBV DNA was undetectable from sera of the individuals with PCR and Southern hybridization. HBV PCR was performed after the separation of PBMC and DNA isulation. HBV DNA was amplifiable in 4 of 24 individuals (17%). By Southem hybridization, HBV DNA was confirmed in 4 positive samples. The duration from the onset of acute hepatitis to the sarnpling time in positive group was 7.0 3.2 months, and was significantly shorter than DNA negative counterpart (21.5 10.5 months)(p<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
Hepatitis B virus DNA can persist in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after resolution of acute hepatitis, and it may persist only for a certain period after clearance of virus in the serurn. The role of HBV DNA in PBMC should be elucidated in the future.