Hepatitis-B virus and Indian childhood cirrhosis.

The surface and core componenets of hepatitis-B virus have not been detected in livers of patients suffering from Indian childhood cirrhosis using procedures such as immunoperoxidase, immunofluorescence, and orcein staining as well as electronmicroscopy. This finding, together with the other features of the disease, suggests that infection by this virus plays no significant role in the aetiology of Indian childhood cirrhosis.