Detection of HBV DNA among HBsAg Negative Patients

Abstract

The persistence of Hepatitis B viral DNA (HBV DNA) in the blood or liver without the presence of detectable HBsAg is called Occult Hepatitis B infection (OBI)). This has become a threat when considering prevention of HBV transmission in our community. The purpose of this study was to determine prevalence as well as the HBV genotype(s) associated with OBI in Ibadan, Nigeria. HBsAg negative, using ELISA techniques, 219 blood samples were included for the study. Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction was used for the detection of HBV DNA in the samples. Data collected was processed using descriptive statistics and Chi square at p = 0.05. The number of male and female participants were 102 (46.6%) and 117 (53.4%) (P = 0.204) respectively. The participants have age range from 1 to 70 years with mean age of 32.1 years (SD =12.7) for females and 33.9years (SD = 12.4) for males. The clinical status of participants ranged from asymptomatic to those presented with acute hepatitis disease. Out of the 219 samples tested, one was positive for HBV DNA giving a prevalence of 0.5%. The positive sample was from a 30 years old female. We were unable to determine the genotype of the isolate due to poor sequence data. There is evidence of circulation of Occult Hepatitis B virus in our community as shown with prevalence of 0.5% OBI in this study. There is need for screening of blood units using Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) technique to reduce the transmission of the virus through transfusion of infected blood and blood products. There is also need to increase awareness of HBV vaccination among the general population to forestall the danger OBI may pose.