[Detection of HBV DNA in extrahepatic tissue with PCR comparison with immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization].

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue, including gallbladder, kidney, spleen, adrenal gland, heart, testicle, pancreas, and liver from eighteen autopsied cases with HBV infection were studied with nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of HBV DNA. The DNA sequence representing HBV infection was detected in the tissue of liver (100%), gallbladder (6 from 7, 85.7%), spleen (6 from 8, 75.0%), kidney (8 from 11, 72.7%) adrenal gland (4 from 6, 66.7%), heart (10 from 18, 55.6%), testicle (10 from 18, 55.6%), pancreas (6 from 11, 54.5%) respectively. The DNA sequence representing HBV replication was detected in 5 cases of liver tissue only. The findings of PCR was correlated with the result of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. It is shown that HBV can infect extrahepatic tissue but do not replicate in it. We think these findings may explain that the harboring of hepatitis virus in extrahepatic tissue could serve as one of extrahepatic infective sources, but have little pathological consequence on the infected extrahepatic organs.