Age- and sex-related study of HBV-DNA in HBsAg asymptomatic children from an endemic area (Cameroon).

A sero-epidemiological survey was carried out in Cameroon in January 1989 on a sample of 702 children of primary school age. A high HBV endemicity level was observed: 60.3% of the sera were positive to any HBV marker, 23.2% (163 sera) were HBsAg-positive. HBV-DNA positivity was observed in 38/163 (23.3%), thus showing a high level of infectivity among these carriers. Seventy-seven HBsAg-positive sera were tested for HBeAg/anti-HBe: 20 (26%) were HBeAg-positive 31 (40%) anti-HBe-positive, and 26 (34%) were negative for both. All sera were anti-HD-negative. Twenty-five per cent of HBeAg-positive sera were HBV-DNA-negative. This finding could be explained by a delayed HBeAg/anti-HBe seroconversion phase with fluctuant HBV-DNA. Only one case of HBV-DNA-positive anti-HBe-positive serum was observed. This study showed that HBV-DNA prevalence was significantly higher in boys (31.8%) than in girls (14.1%) (p less than 0.02). This difference was not observed for any HBV marker. We therefore conclude that in boys a prolonged HBV replicative phase might explain the observed high chronicity rate.