Abstract
Persistent human hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a ajor public health problem. Worldwide, more than 400 milion people are chronically infected with HBV, defined as Bs antigen positive in serum samples (Hatzakis et al., 2006; illeneuve, 2005). In contrast, more than 1 billion persons ave been in contact with this virus and conserved a seroogical hallmark of infection. However, even in these cases hat are considered resolved, HBV DNA may persist in liver issue (Raimondo et al., 2007; Seeger and Mason, 2000). The resence of HBV DNA may be involved either in viral reacivation associated with acute hepatitis, often after immune uppression, or might favor the progression of the liver disase toward cirrhosis in occult hepatitis (Chemin and Trepo, 005). HBV occult hepatitis represents an important risk facor for the development of liver carcinoma (Kremsdorf et al., 006). Recently, HBV genetic analysis revealed that occult BV strains are replication-competent in vitro suggesting hat host, rather than viral factors, are involved in the cryptic nfection (Pollicino et al., 2007).
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