Successful treatment of decompensated chronic viral hepatitis by bursal disease virus vaccine.

Three cases of women with chronic liver inflammation caused by hepatitis B (two) and C (one) viral infections, were followed up to twelve years after diagnosis. As conventional therapy was ineffective and the patients progressed into decompensated liver disease, they were superinfected with massive doses of an attenuated variant (MTH-68/B) of the apathogenic avian Bursal Disease virus (a double-stranded RNA virus from the Birnaviridae family). Clinical symptoms and biochemical abnormalities were resolved in two patients following few months of virus treatment. Cirrhosis was stabilized and significant clinical improvement was achieved in the third patient--who before the virus therapy was moribund with recurring, diuretic-resistant ascites, variceal bleedings, portal encephalopathy and renal failure. To our knowledge, these are the first recorded cases of decompensated chronic viral hepatitis which went to long-lasting remission or were stabilized by superinfection with an apathogenic virus.