Should HIV Patients be concerned about Occult Hepatitis B?
Antonio Aguilera 1, Vicente Soriano 2
1 Microbiology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario Santiago (CHUS) & University of Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; 2 UNIR Health Sciences School and Medical Center, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Madrid, Spain
*Correspondence: Antonio Aguilera, Email not available
Abstract
In HIV disease, infection is universally followed by chronification, and therefore, recognition of anti-HIV antibodies always reflects HIV persistence. In hepatitis B, chronic infection was thought to be reliably picked-up by detecting serum hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg). However, this view has been challenged following a better understanding of the virus life cycle and reports of episodes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation and transmission from individuals with negative serum HBsAg. This so-called occult B infection (OBI) has attracted so much attention that the European Association for the Study of the Liver endorsed one special workshop on October 1-2, 2018, in Taormina, Italy, to address this topic. Herein, we highlight aspects with especial relevance for the HIV population.
