Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Hepatic Diseases and Its Significance for the WHO’s Elimination Plan of Viral Hepatitis
Leticia Bucio-Ortiz,
Karina Enriquez-Navarro,
Angélica Maldonado-Rodríguez,
Jesús Miguel Torres-Flores,
Ana María Cevallos,
Mauricio Salcedo,
Rosalia Lira
Affiliations
Leticia Bucio-Ortiz
Medicina y Carcinogénesis Experimental, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, Ciudad de Mexico 09340, Mexico
Karina Enriquez-Navarro
Medicina y Carcinogénesis Experimental, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, Ciudad de Mexico 09340, Mexico
Angélica Maldonado-Rodríguez
Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitarias, UMAE Hospital de Pediatría, CMN Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Ciudad de Mexico 06720, Mexico
Jesús Miguel Torres-Flores
Laboratorio Nacional de Vacunología y Virus Tropicales, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de Mexico 11350, Mexico
Ana María Cevallos
Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Ciudad de Mexico 04510, Mexico
Mauricio Salcedo
Unidad de Investigación Biomédica Oncológica Genómica, Hospital de Gineco Pediatría 3-A, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Órgano de Operación Administrativa Desconcentrada (OOAD) Cd Mx Norte, Ciudad de Mexico 07760, Mexico
Rosalia Lira
Unidad de Investigación Biomédica Oncológica Genómica, Hospital de Gineco Pediatría 3-A, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Órgano de Operación Administrativa Desconcentrada (OOAD) Cd Mx Norte, Ciudad de Mexico 07760, Mexico
Liver damage can progress through different stages, resulting in cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), conditions that are often associated with viral infections. Globally, 42% and 21% of cirrhosis cases correlate with HBV and HCV, respectively. In the Americas, the prevalence ranges from 1% to 44%. The WHO has the goal to eliminate viral hepatitis, but it is important to consider occult HBV infection (OBI), a clinical condition characterized by the presence of HBV genomes despite negative surface antigen tests. This review aims to provide an overview of recent data on OBI, focusing on its role in the development of hepatic diseases and its significance in the WHO Viral Hepatitis Elimination Plan. Specific HBV gene mutations have been linked to HCC and other liver diseases. Factors related to the interactions between OBI and mutated viral proteins, which induce endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative DNA damage, and the potential role of HBV integration sites (such as the TERT promoter) have been identified in HCC/OBI patients. Health initiatives for OBI research in Latin American countries are crucial to achieving the WHO’s goal of eradicating viral hepatitis by 2030, given the difficulty in diagnosing OBI and its unclear association with hepatic diseases.
