Specific histologic features of Santa Marta hepatitis: a severe form of hepatitis delta-virus infection in northern South America.

Stimulated by observations in an outbreak of hepatitis delta-virus infection among Yucpa Indians in Venezuela, in which unusual histologic features were found, we studied 100 cases of fatal hepatitis from Colombia, South America, which had been obtained by autopsy or viscerotomy. These cases were considered to be "Santa Marta hepatitis," or "hepatitis of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta," which has been observed in this region for more than 40 years. Of the 100 cases, 19 had a variety of histologic lesions or were normal, and hepatitis delta-virus antigen was not demonstrated immunocytochemically in any of them. By contrast, 81 cases had a characteristic histologic picture with intense microvesicular steatosis associated with conspicuous eosinophilic necrosis of the hepatocytes, which apparently were sluggishly removed by cytolysis. Hepatitis delta-virus antigen was detected in 70% of the 81 cases, and the absence of detection of this antigen was often associated with poor tissue preservation and more extensive hepatocyte necrosis. A smaller percentage of patients had hepatitis B virus antigens detectable in liver tissue. The characteristic lesion in these 81 cases could be distinguished from other causes of microvesicular steatosis by the extensive eosinophilic necrosis. Other variable accompanying features included intraacinar, mainly macrophagic, scavenger cell inflammation, intense portal inflammation, a parenchymal regeneration, and ductular and arteriolar proliferation. Santa Marta hepatitis as a severe form of hepatitis delta-virus infection differs markedly from fulminant delta-hepatitis in Europe and the United States in which the microsteatosis with marked eosinophilic degeneration is not found. The causes for these differences are unknown but may relate to nutritional factors or environmental toxins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)