HBV-DNA sequences are rarely detected in the liver of patients with HBsAg-negative chronic active liver disease and with hepatocellular carcinoma in Italy.

Hepatitis B virus sequences were studied by molecular hybridization in liver biopsies from patients with HBsAg-negative chronic liver disease or hepatocellular carcinoma, collected in Italy. Among the 42 patients with chronic liver disease who had no history of drug addiction, alcohol abuse nor evidence of metabolic and autoimmune disorders, only two (5%) had HBV-DNA sequences in the liver, although 23 of them (57%) were positive for antibodies to HBV in serum. HBV-DNA was also demonstrated in integrated form in the tumorous tissue of one out of eight cases with HBsAg-negative hepatocellular carcinoma. These incidences of HBV-DNA positivity in the liver are lower than those reported from other Mediterranean areas and similar to those of North Europe, United States and Japan, suggesting that etiologic factors other than HBV are responsible for the majority of HBsAg-negative chronic liver diseases in our region.