The incidence rate, serological characteristics and cytokines profile of occult HBV infection in clinic

Background: At present, the clinical research on OBI patients is still insufficient. Cytokines are small molecular proteins with immune regulation and immune effects, and are important indicators for judging immune function and inflammatory response. This study analyzed the prevalence rate of OBI patients in clinical HBV infection, the characteristics of HBV serological markers and serum levels of 48 cytokines/chemokines/growth factors. Methods A total of 76,428 HBV-infected patients with different related illnesses who were admitted to the Capital Medical University, Beijing Youan Hospital from May 2018 to May 2021 were Screened for OBI. Among them, 279 OBI patients were enrolled and 279 chronic HBV infection patients who were persistently positive for HBsAg and HBV DNA were matched. Analyze the basic medical records and laboratory data of patients with OBI, such as HBV serological markers, serum HBV DNA load, liver function index, etc. Serum samples from 30 OBI patients, 20 matched HBsAg positive patients and 16 healthy people were tested for 48 cytokines/chemokines/growth factors to determine the heterogeneity of serum cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors among the three groups. Results Of 76428 HBV-infected patients enrolled, 358 (0.47%) were defined as OBI patients.The prevalence of different disease categories varies. The main serological patterns of OBI patients were HBsAg negative, anti-HBs negative, HBeAg negative, anti-HBe positive and anti-HBc positive, accounting for 47.67%. 94.98% of OBI patients had HBV DNA load < 200IU/ml. The level of serum sCD40L, G-CSF, IFN-γ, MIP-1α, RANTES and Eotaxin in the OBI group was significantly higher than that in HBsAg positive group( P ༜0.05), but the level of IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-13, IL-17A, PDGF-AA, TGF-α and TNF-β in the OBI group was lower than that in the HBsAg positive group( P  < 0.05). The levels of various serum cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were also different between the OBI group and the healthy control group. Conclusions The levels of HBV DNA replication and transcription are low in most patients with OBI. A variety of serum cytokines, chemokines and growth factors may be involved in the inhibition of HBV DNA replication and transcription levels in OBI patients, and then promote HBsAg and viral clearance.