[Hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication in patients with various types of chronic hepatopathy].

We study retrospectively the viral replication state (HBV) of 50 patients with chronic hepatic alterations. The seric DNA-HBV and/or intrahepatic (molecular hybridization), the intrahepatic distribution of HBV antigens (specific monoclonal antibodies labelled with immunoperoxidase), conventional seric HBV markers (commercial enzymoimmunoessay) and the different histopathologic features. We found a correlation between DNA-HBV "in situ" and HBcAg intrahepatic and the seric DNA-HBV production. 81% of the patients with HBsAg (+) had intrahepatic HBcAg and 85% (11/13) of them showed the antigen in their cytoplasms. Patients with HBcAg also had seric and liver DNA-HBV (+). The lack of seric HBsAg did not mean that non-active replication of HBV did not exist because 20% of the patients with HBsAg (-) showed seric and "in situ" DNA-HBV and cytoplasmic HBcAg. The detection of DNA-HBV in endothelial cells and vascular elements in hepatic tissue show that the rate of the HBV host cells is greater.