Characterization of occult hepatitis B infection among Iranian liver transplant recipients

Background The prevalence of occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) among Iranian liver transplant recipient patients has not been explored yet. The present study aimed to determine the OBI prevalence among Iranian liver transplant recipients. Methods This study encompassed 97 patients having undergone liver transplantation due to several clinical backgrounds in the Liver Transplantation Center, Tehran, Iran. After serological evaluation, two different types of PCR methods were applied for amplification of HBV DNA, followed by the direct sequencing of whole hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface genes. Results At the time of admission, none of the patients were positive for HBsAg. However, 24 (25%), 12 (12.3%), and 5 (5.1%) cases were positive for anti-HBc, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) antibodies, respectively. Moreover, two males were positive for OBI (2.1%). Both were positive for anti-HBc and negative for anti-HBs, anti-HCV, and anti-HDV. HBV-related cirrhosis was the underlying reason for their liver transplantation. HBsAg sequences revealed no amino acid substitution. Conclusions The prevalence of OBI in the Iranian liver transplantation patients was relatively low. Future longitudinal studies with a larger sample size are suggested to explore the significance of this clinical finding, including the reactivation of cryptic HBV DNA, in liver transplant subjects.

Automated summary

This study investigated the prevalence of occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) among Iranian liver transplant recipients. The results showed that the prevalence of OBI in this population was relatively low, but further research is needed to fully understand its significance.