[The role of delta agent in particularly severe acute hepatitis B and non-A, non-B hepatitis in HBsAg carriers].

Role of delta agent in course of acute hepatitis B of particular severity and of hepatitis nAnB in carriers of HBsAg. Eighty-four cases of acute viral hepatitis have been studied with regard to the positiveness for delta antigen and anti-delta antibody in the Laboratory of clinical-chemical and microbiological analyses of the Hospital "L. Sacco" of Milan. The cases have been grouped in two classes: acute B hepatitis with prothrombin time of less than 40% acute viral hepatitis nAnB in chronic carriers of HBsAg. The prevalence of delta hepatitis was of 47.1% in the first class, while it was of 22% in the second class.