Infection with the delta agent can only occur in the context of coexistent hepatitis B virus infection. We describe a patient in whom the clinical features of acute delta hepatitis developed when seroconversion from hepatitis B surface antigen to antibody had already occurred and diagnosis of recent acute hepatitis B was based on high titre IgM antibody to hepatitis B core antigen. We discuss t...

A serologic study of hepatitis and HIV infections among 99 I.V. drug abusers with hepatitis was conducted between December 1986 and September 1987. The average age of the study subjects was 21 years. Eighty-nine (90%) of the subjects were male, including four whose sexual orientation was homosexual/bisexual. Serologic tests indicated that 87 of the 99 subjects had hepatitis B virus infections, ...

Recent evidence shows that chronic liver disease induced by hepatitis delta virus is closely associated with production of autoantibodies. To verify this sera from patients with hepatitis delta virus and from those with hepatitis B virus mediated chronic liver disease were tested for a panel of autoantibodies. Although the traditional non-organ specific autoantibodies were similarly distributed...

A novel hepatitis B virus surface antigen mutant harboring a deletion of most of the major antigenic loop region was competent for self-assembly and secretion. Although the mutant protein was competent for interaction with and incorporation of free large hepatitis delta antigen, it was partially defective in hepatitis delta virus RNP incorporation.

Delta agent is a defective virus which may coinfect with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or superinfect a carrier of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Sera from 1130 adult and young jaundiced patients and volunteers of both sexes were tested for seromarkers of viral hepatitis by ELISA technique. One hundred and ninety three cases,positive for HBsAg, were further tested for delta antibody. A low prev...

Delta hepatitis is the less frequently encountered but most severe form of viral hepatitis. Acute delta hepatitis, as a result of coinfection with hepatitis B and hepatitis delta, is rare, but may lead to fulminant hepatitis, and no therapy exists for this form. Chronic delta hepatitis (CDH) mostly develops as a result of superinfection of a hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier with hepa...

The incidence of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection in Northern Ireland (1970-1989) was tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in 401 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive sera. Hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg) was tested in 388 patients and antibody to delta antigen (anti-HD) in 401 patients. Four patients (1.03%) were HDAg positive. Nine patients (2.24%) were positive for anti-HD...

One hundred and six consecutive chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers were studied for the prevalence of delta markers in serum and tissue, and the clinical and histological features of those with and without delta infection were compared. Twenty (18.9%) patients were positive for anti-delta in serum or delta antigen in the liver or both. They presented at a younger age (30.3 v 38 years). Al...