Statements from the Taormina expert meeting on occult hepatitis B virus infection

Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most challenging topics in the field of viral hepatitis with its virological and clinical relevance being debated for more than 30years. Initially described in the late 1970s, this form of hepatitis B infection has now been further characterised. In particular, in the last 10years the application of highly sensitive molecular biology techniques has resulted in the elucidation of its virological features and possible clinical implications. It is noteworthy that there has been a steady and continuous increase in the number of publications on occult HBV infection, with many reviews, editorials and commentaries recently being published by journals covering different areas of bio-medical interest [1–32].