Carrier state of hepatitis B virus--an interesting host-parasite relationship.

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) does not seem to be cytopathic and the hepatocellular injury is probably mediated by cellular immune effector mechanisms (possibly specific for hepatocyte surface membrane autoantigens). Even if these host reactions are not fully understood, the hepatitis B virus have been shown to possess some unique characteristics indicating the possibility of a new type of infectious agent.