Hepatitis B virus carrier with low titer of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen.

Of 798 hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers, 22 had low titers (lower than 80% inhibition in 200- or 400-fold diluted serum) of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). Among these 22 patients, there were 12 (1.50%) with viremia who were positive for hepatitis B e antigen and had a high titer of HBV-associated DNA polymerase activity. Among these 12 patients, four showed no significant change in the anti-HBc titer, while four others showed significant increases in the anti-HBc titer during the follow-up periods. The former all remained asymptomatic carriers (ASCs), while the latter all developed chronic hepatitis (CH). The liver histology of four patients (ASC: 2, CH: 2) showed mild inflammation, and the localization of hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) in the liver specimens showed a nuclear pattern in the two ASCs, but a nuclear plus cytoplasmic pattern in the two CH cases. In HBV carriers, the increase in anti-HBc titer seems to be closely correlated to the change in HBcAg localization from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in the liver. Therefore, rising titers of anti-HBc were assumed to be associated with increased expression of HBcAg on the hepatocyte, and hence increased immune-mediated hepatic damage and the onset of hepatitis in ASC with low titer of anti-HBc.