Prevalence of antibody to delta antigen among HBV carriers in Japan.

Of 280 hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, 14 (5.0%) were seropositive for antibody to delta antigen (anti-HD by radioimmunoassay. HBV carriers with chronic liver disease had a greater frequency of seropositivity of anti-HD than asymptomatic HBV carriers (7% vs. 0%, P less than 0.05). Among the various geographic regions of Kure, the east suburban area had a significantly higher prevalence of anti-HD when compared with all other regions combined (9.8% vs. 2.7%, P less than 0.025). It is suggested that hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection exists in Japan and HDV may be an etiologic agent of chronic liver disease.