[Immuno-histological findings of the liver in virus-related autoimmune hepatitis--preliminary findings].

As virus-associated autoimmune hepatitis a frequently chronic HBsAg-seronegative hepatitis was defined, in which in the liver tissue virus-markers and in the serum high titre (titre more than 1:320) autoantibodies are to be proved. The immunohistological findings of the liver of 11 patients with such a disease suggest a hepatitis B-virus, a hepatitis non-A/non-B-virus and combination forms. The solitary occurrence of virus-markers seems to be typical. In the hepatitis B-associated form furthermore a diffuse IgG-deposition at the liver cell membrane was characteristic as well as focal cytoplasmatic deposits of IgG, IgA, IgM and of C 3. In the hepatitis non-A/non-B-associated form solitarily above all nuclearly a non-A/non-B-associated-antigen, focally nuclearly a non-A/non-B-associated-antigen, focally nuclearly and cytoplasmatically IgE and diffusely cytoplasmatically IgG (with lobule-central accent) was found. The immunohistological findings, particularly the solitary occurrence of virus-markers, might be an expression of a genetically determined, no doubt, increased but incomplete immune attack of the host to the virus-infected liver cells.