Intensity of HLA-A2 Expression Significantly Decreased in Occult Hepatitis B Infection

Background: occult hepatitis b infected (obi) patients cannot eradicate hepatitis b virus (hbv)-dna from their liver and peripheral blood, completely. objectives: the main aim of this study was to investigate the rate of hla-a2 expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmcs) of patients with obi. materials and methods: in this experimental study, intensity of hla-a2 was measured on the pbmcs of 57 obi patients and 100 hbsag-/anti-hbc+/hbv-dna samples were enrolled as controls; measurements were performed using the flow cytometry technique. results: flow cytometric analysis indicated that 19 (33.3%) obi patients and 28 (28%) controls expressed hla-a2 antigen on their pbmcs. there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the rate of individuals expressing hla-a2 antigen. statistical analyses showed that the intensity of hla-a2 expression significantly decreased in obi patients (3.58 ± 0.1) in comparison to healthy controls (4.21 ± 0.25; p > 0.001). conclusions: according to these results it can be concluded that decreased intensity of hla-a2 on the pbmcs of obi patients may lead to resistance of hbv in the patients.