The Hepatitis B and Delta Viruses

Despite the availability of an effective vaccine for hepatitis B, hundreds of millions of people worldwide are infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This virus can cause serious liver damage and cancer in chronically infected patients. Hepatitis delta virus (HDV), a satellite of HBV, can exacerbate the disease.

Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine examines all aspects of HBV and HDV infections and their management. Contributors discuss the HBV and HDV life cycles, their unique characteristics (e.g., the formation of HBV cccDNA), the immune responses they elicit, and the challenges they present to the development of antiviral treatments. The molecular mechanisms that lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are reviewed, as are factors that influence the severity of the disease. Conventional treatments (e.g., interferons), emerging therapeutic strategies, and ongoing efforts to find a cure for chronic infections are also described.

This volume includes perspectives on the origins and evolution of these viruses, historical milestones in HBV and HDV research, and insights from animal models (e.g., woodchucks). It is an essential reference for all virologists, clinical and laboratory investigators, and physicians interested in reducing the burden of liver disease caused by HBV and HDV.

(preliminary)

I. HEPATITIS B VIRUS

A. INTRODUCTION
1. Viral hepatitis: Past & future of HBV & HDV
2. Viral hepatitis: Clinical & Epidemiological Characteristics
3. The hepadnavirus family of viruses
4. Origins and Evolution of HBV and HDV

B. VIROLOGY
1. HBV/HDV entry, species specificity and tissue tropism
2. Molecular basis for viral persistence:
3. Assembly and release
4. Regulation of viral gene expression

C. PATHOGENESIS AND NATURAL HISTORY
1. Epidemiology
2. Immune response
3. HBV genotypes and variants
4. Hepatocellular carcinoma

D. ANIMAL MODELS
1. The woodchuck model for liver cancer and antiviral drug development.
2. The chimpanzee model for HBV infections
3. Mouse models for HBV infections

E. PREVENTION, TREATMENT, CONTROL AND ERADICATION
1. The Global Hepatitis Program of WHO
2. Prevention
3. Antiviral therapy and Cure
4. Management of Patients from Special
5. Treatment of liver

II. HEPATITIS DELTA VIRUS
1. HDV: Epidemiology
2. HDV Replication
3. HDV Co-Infection and Superinfection
4. HDV Therapy