[A case report of hepatitis B virus reactivation in a hepatitis B core antibody-positive, hepatitis B surface antigen-negative hemodialysis patient].

Reactivation of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been reported in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy or chemotherapy. We report a case of HBV reactivation in a patient negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), positive for hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), and positive for hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), who was undergoing chronic maintenance hemodialysis without immunosuppressive therapy or chemotherapy. The patient was an 85-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease due to nephrosclerosis who had undergone maintenance hemodialysis for a year. She had been HBsAg-negative, anti-HBc- and anti-HBs-positive previously, but biannual routine surveillance for HBV showed positivity for HBsAg, negativity for anti-HBs, and positivity for HBV DNA (5.9 log copies/mL). She was asymptomatic, and transaminases were within normal limits. She was dialyzed in an isolated room with a dedicated staff member for the control of infection. HBV is a blood-borne pathogen, which is highly infectious. Hemodialysis is a procedure associated with high risk for blood-borne infection. We should recognize the risk of reactivation of HBV in HBsAg-negative, anti-HBc-positive patients, and consider how to incorporate anti-HBc screening and infection control in isolated anti-HBc-positive hemodialysis patients in clinical practice.