Hepatitis B Core Antibody Negativity in a Chronic Hepatitis B Infected Patient: Report of an Unusual Serological Pattern

Diagnosis of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is established by the presence of various hepatitis B serological and molecular markers. Expression of these serological markers may vary in natural course of HBV infection. We report a case of an unusual HBV serological pattern in a Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) infected patient demonstrating absence of Hepatitis B core Antibody (Anti-HBc) in spite of presence of Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg) and HBV DNA. Since, anti-HBc represents a reliable serological marker for past exposure of HBV infection, therefore we emphasize on the presence of such unusual serological pattern which could lead to doubts in the interpretation of results.