[Study on hepatitis delta virus infection in China].

Antibody to the delta antigen (anti-delta) was detected by using ELISA and RIA in 1027 HBsAg-positive persons distributed over 11 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China. No positive of anti-delta was found in 634 cases in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangxi, Sichuan, Heilongjiang, Fujian, Liaonin, and Henan, of 393 cases in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet, 17 (4.3%) were positive. In these regions, the positive rate of anti-delta in CAH and CPH was much higher than that in chronic HBsAg carriers. It was suggested that HDV infection was characterized by endemic and sporadic features in China and it was important in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B.