Lack of reverse transcriptase activity in serum in sporadic post-transfusional and presumed epidemic or water-borne forms of severe non-A, non-B hepatitis

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Abstract
Reverse transcriptase (RT) activity was not detected in any serum sample taken from 22 patients with mainly severe non‐A, non‐B hepatitis (NANBH), using two assays selected to cover the range of known human and animal retroviruses. The study included patients with fulminant and sub‐acute hepatic failure, which was attributed to sporadic, post‐transfusional, and presumed epidemic or water‐borne epidemiological forms of NANBH. Although we cannot exclude the possibility that some of the agents implicated in NANBH are retroviruses, our negative findings suggest that other agents may be involved at least in the severe forms of NANBH.