Detection of HBV DNA in non-A, non-B hepatic tissues using the polymerase chain reaction assay.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by Southern blotting was used to examine the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in non-cancerous liver tissue specimens from 22 Japanese hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, who were negative for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). By Southern blot analysis, HBV DNA was negative in all 22 patients, but it was detected by the PCR in 8 of the 15 patients who were positive for antibodies against HBsAg or HBV core antigen. Seven patients who were negative for those antibodies were also negative for HBV DNA by the PCR. These results suggest that HBV may be involved in the etiology of the liver disease of some patients with what is presently classified as non-A, non-B hepatitis, if they are positive for HBV antibodies.