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As the loss of HBsAg during treatment of chronic hepatitis delta (CHD) is mandatory for definitive clearance and durable response, the optimal target of therapy should be complete response (CR), defined as loss of HDV RNA and HBsAg, plus development of anti-HBs. The optimal treatment duration of CHD is not well established. We present 2 cases of patients with CHD cirrhosis who were treated with prolonged Peg-IFNα-2a + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate until HBsAg loss, and who achieved CR after 46 and 55 months of treatment respectively. A personalized approach and prolonged treatment duration determined by HBsAg loss may increase the likelihood of CR in CHD.

To confirm the presence of DNA from human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I), HTLVII, or both in individuals found HTLV-I/II-positive through systematic screening of blood donations in Guadeloupe (French West Indies), 42 blood donors repeatedly positive for HTLV-I/II by ELISA were studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Three primer pairs (env, pol, tax) targeted on conserved regions of HTLV-I or -II sequences (or both) and six probes (two generic, two HTLV-I-specific, two HTLV-II-specific) were used in a multiplex PCR. HTLV-I sequences were detected in 31 individuals (74%). All 31 subjects positive by Western blot (WB) harbored HTLV-I sequences. Fifteen individuals (48%) were positive with the three primer pairs used, 10 (32%) with two, and 6 (20%) with one. Subjects indeterminate or negative by WB were all negative by PCR. No HTLV-II sequences were detected with specific probes. The results indicate the absence of HTLV-I and -II infection in individuals with indeterminate WB, the presence of HTLV-I DNA in individuals positive for WB in the French West Indies, and the absence of HTLV-II infection in the cohort.