is there a hepatitis B virus infectivity?
HYPOTHESIS: The object of this study was to find out whether cerumen and otorrhea have any infectivity in the transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV). BACKGROUND: The HBV infection is a worldwide health problem. It can be transmitted by infected blood or other body fluids through percutaneous or permucosal exposure. Recently, there have been some reports where cerumen can be a potential source of HBV transmission. METHODS: This study was performed on 30 chronic hepatitis B patients who tested positive in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs Ag). Thirty cerumen and 5 otorrhea samples were analyzed. The cerumen and the serum were examined for (HBs Ag) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBe Ag) by using enzyme immunoassay systems. As for HBV DNA detection, quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed on the serum, cerumen, and otorrhea. RESULTS:: Hepatitis B virus DNA was detected in the 20 samples of cerumen (66.7%) and all 5 otorrhea (100%) from 30 patients. The mean values of HBV DNA in ce
