Detection of hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B core antigen, and hepatitis B virus DNA in parotid tissues

Received 11 January 2008; received in revised form 6 March 2008; accepted 12 March 2008. published online 09 June 2008.

Summary

Objective

To examine the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in parotid tissues from patients with positive serum HBV markers.

Methods

HBsAg and HBcAg were examined in parotid biopsy tissues from patients with suspected parotid tumor and positive serum HBV markers by immunocytochemistry, and HBV DNA was detected in parotid tissues by PCR.

Results

Among the 22 patients with a parotid tumor, only one was pathologically confirmed as a neoplasm; all others were benign. HBsAg and HBcAg were present in parotid cells with positive rates of 45.5% (10/22) and 40.9% (9/22), respectively, with an overall positive rate of 54.5% (12/22). Of the 22 cases with serum markers of HBV infection, seven (31.8%) had both HBsAg and HBcAg in the parotid cells. HBV DNA was present in seven of the 12 samples in which hepatitis B antigen was detected (58.3%).

Conclusions

HBV in saliva might originate from the infected salivary glands and the infectious saliva could transmit HBV.

Corresponding Editor: Sunit K. Singh, Hyderabad, India

Keywords: Parotid tissue, HBsAg, HBcAg, HBV DNA

a School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China

b Department of Infectious Diseases, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China

c Department of Surgery, Changde Hospital, Central South University, Changde, China

d Community-Acquired Infections Division, CIDPC, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

e Blood Safety Surveillance Division, CIDPC, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

f The OMNI Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, 501 Smyth Road, Box 241, Ottawa, Canada K1H 8L6

g Ottawa Health Research Institute Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa, Canada

h Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada

Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 613 737 8899x73912; fax: +1 613 739 6266.

PII: S1201-9712(08)00086-6

doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2008.03.015

5 of 31