Kim Seong Man, Lee Ki Sung, Park Chi Jun, Lee Ja Young, Kim Kyung Ho, Park Joon Yong, Lee Jin Heon, Kim Hak Yang, Yoo Jae Young, Jang Myoung Kuk
Laboratory of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
J Infect. 2007 Feb;54(2):185-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2006.02.002. Epub 2006 Mar 27.
To investigate the prevalence of occult HBV infection among subjects with normal serum ALT levels in South Korea.
A total of 195 serum samples were collected from subjects without a past history of alcohol abuse and with normal serum ALT levels. They were negative for HBsAg, anti-HCV, and anti-HIV. HBV-DNA was detected from sera by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers of the surface antigen region of the HBV genome. We performed a quantitation assay using hybrid capture II test to determine the levels of serum HBV-DNA.
HBV-DNA was detected in 31 of 195 subjects (16%). Prevalence of occult hepatitis B was significantly higher in the male subjects (23%) than in the female (8%), (P<0.05). We were able to detect HBV-DNA in 15% (7/47) even in which sera were all negative for anti-HBs and IgG anti-HBc. Serum HBV-DNA levels were as high as 10(5) copies/mL in 18 of 31 subjects (58%) with occult HBV infection.
The prevalence of occult HBV infection and their HBV-DNA levels were significantly high among subjects with normal serum ALT levels in South Korea. Thus, more meticulous attention should be given to prevent HBV transmission by blood transfusion or organ transplantation in endemic areas, and further studies on clinical implication and mechanism of occult HBV infection are required.
调查韩国血清丙氨酸氨基转移酶（ALT）水平正常的人群中隐匿性乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）感染的流行情况。
共收集了195份血清样本，这些样本来自无酗酒史且血清ALT水平正常的受试者。他们的乙肝表面抗原（HBsAg）、丙型肝炎病毒抗体（抗-HCV）和艾滋病病毒抗体（抗-HIV）均为阴性。使用HBV基因组表面抗原区域的特异性引物，通过巢式聚合酶链反应（PCR）从血清中检测HBV-DNA。我们使用杂交捕获II试验进行定量分析，以确定血清HBV-DNA水平。
195名受试者中有31名（16%）检测到HBV-DNA。隐匿性乙型肝炎在男性受试者中的患病率（23%）显著高于女性（8%），（P<0.05）。即使在抗-HBs和IgG抗-HBc均为阴性的血清中，我们仍能在15%（7/47）的样本中检测到HBV-DNA。在31名隐匿性HBV感染受试者中，有18名（58%）的血清HBV-DNA水平高达10⁵拷贝/毫升。
在韩国，血清ALT水平正常的人群中隐匿性HBV感染的患病率及其HBV-DNA水平显著较高。因此，在流行地区应更加谨慎地注意预防输血或器官移植导致的HBV传播，并且需要对隐匿性HBV感染的临床意义和机制进行进一步研究。
