Stool vs. Serum Hepatitis B Virus DNA in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B
Ji-shun Zheng, Meng-meng Chen, Hai-fei Yang, Xiang-tian Zhou, Yan-yan Liu, Jia-bin Li
Department of Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases, Anhui Medical University (The Third Affiliated Hospital), Hefei, Anhui, China (mainland)
Med Sci Monit 2015; 21:3840-3846
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.896243
Available online:
Published: 2015-12-09
BACKGROUND:
Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) liver function in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are significantly associated. A comparison of clinical significance of fecal HBV DNA and serum HBV DNA has not yet been reported.
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
Stool and serum samples were collected from 66 patients with CHB. Fecal HBV DNA, serum HBV DNA, and intestinal microbiota DNA were detected by real-time quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Liver function and HBeAg were analyzed.
RESULTS:
The stool and serum HBV DNA were positively correlated (r=0.57, P=0.001). Fecal HBV DNA was higher in the HBeAg-positive group than in the HBeAg-negative group (P=0.02). Fecal HBV DNA was negatively correlated with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (r=–0.41, P=0.001) and TBIL (r=–0.29, P=0.02), and was positively correlated with Enterococcus (r=0.38, P=0.002). Serum HBV DNA was negatively correlated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (r=–0.30,P=0.02), aminotransferase (AST) (r=–0.26, P=0.049), and Lactobacillus (r=–0.31, P=0.01).
CONCLUSIONS:
These observations suggest that fecal HBV DNA and serum HBV DNA in patients with CHB have different effects. Fecal HBV DNA might be associated with changes in Enterococcus concentrations, but serum HBV DNA is not.
Keywords: DNA, Viral - blood, Adult, Feces - virology, Hepatitis B virus - genetics, Hepatitis B, Chronic - virology, Intestines - microbiology, Liver Function Tests, Polymerase Chain Reaction
