Non‐A, non‐b hepatitis: identification of hepatitis‐b‐like virus particles in serum and liver

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus-like particles including: small spheres and filaments 15--25 nm in diameter together with a 35--40 nm Dane particle-like virion have been identified in sera of patients with non-A, non-B hepatitis. In a coded serological study, such particles were detected transiently in 3/4 acute, and persistently in 7/8 chronic cases of non-A, non-B hepatitis with non-A, non-B antigenemia. Only 2/12 similar cases without non-A, non-B antigens (Ag) in serum had detectable particles but neither patients with drugs, or type A hepatitis, nor cases of obstructive jaundice. The particles did not express hepatitis B surface (HBs) or non-A, non-B Ag at their surface but were associated, in three patients, with significant endogenous DNA polymerase activity. Furthermore, particles similar to hepatitis B cores (BHc) and also associated with DNA polymerase activity were demonstrated by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation of a liver homogenate obtained from a patient who had died of non-A, non-B hepatitis. The non-A, non-B hepatitis virion described here appears, therefore, as a hepatitis B-like virus. The exact kinship between these two agents is currently being investigated.

Ultrastructural Changes and Virus‐Like Particles Localized in Liver Hepatocytes of Chimpanzees Infected With Non‐A, Non‐B Hepatitis

“…Samples of urine collected from acute-phase NANB patients were shown by Coursaget et a1 [1979] to have particles 60 nm in diameter with a 40-nm core. Hantz, Vitvitski, and Trepo [1980] recently reported the visualization of small spheres and filaments 15-25 nm in diameter, along with 35-40 nm Dane-like particles in sera from NANB patients.…”

Ultrastructural features in chronic non‐A, non‐B (NANB) hepatitis: A controlled blind study

“…This group accounts for approximately 90% of post-transfusion hepatitis [Alter et al, 1978;Seeff et al, 19781, and has also been reported in patients receiving blood coagulation factors [Craske et al, 1975;Bamber et a], 1981a], in intravenous drug abusers [Bamber et al, 1981b1, in patients and staff in haemodialysis units [Galbraith et al, 19791, and sporadically in the general population [Villajeros et al, 1975; Mosley et al, 1977;Bamber et al, 1981bl. Chronic hepatitis develops in 23-469'0 of infected patients [Knodell et al, 1977;Berman et al, 19791. Antigen/antibody systems associated with NANB hepatitis have been reported [Shirachi et al, 1978;Vitvitski et al, 1979;Chircu et al, 19801, but there still remains a controversy concerning their specificity, Virus particles have also been seen in the serum of patients with NANB hepatitis [Hantz et al, 1980;Yoshizawa et al, 19801. Intranuclear particles and specific ultrastructural alterations in the ER have been described in chimpanzees infected with serum from patients with NANB hepatitis [Jackson et al, 1979;Shimizu et al, 19791. Similar intranuclear particles have also been noted in one patient with acute NANB hepatitis [Gmelin et al, 19801 and in 10 patients with NANB-associated chronic active hepatitis [Grimaud et al, 19801.…”

The nature of the hepatitis B virus and its mode of replication

“…These newly described agents are pathogens of widely differing animal species including American woodchucks [88], prairie dogs [78], ducks [95] and squirrels [96]. There is also a preliminary report that one agent of non-A, non-B hepatitis of man is related to hepatitis B virus [19] but this remains to be confirmed. An expansion of research into the pathogenesis and properties of these similar viruses will inevitably further our understanding of human hepatitis B virus infection.…”