We prospectively assessed the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection by investigating HBV replication in 160 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with isolated antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen. This prevalence was 0.6% (1 case/160 patients; 95% confidence interval, 0%-3.4%). A second serum sample was collected later from 52 of the patients. HBV DNA was once again undetectable in all patients, except for the sole patient who had previously been found to be HBV DNA positive.

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Liver and plasma hepatitis C virus (HCV) variability was compared by E2 cloning and sequencing in three patients coinfected with HCV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) before and after interferon treatment and in three patients solely infected with HCV. The plasma and liver samples contained unique sequences. In the patients coinfected with HIV, accumulated random mutations produced mostly nonsynonymous substitutions in contrast to the reduced HCV genetic variability seen after treatment.

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