Neonatal hepatitis is a syndrome of symptoms associated with a history that includes any type of infectious, genetic, toxic, or metabolic causation. Various infectious agents have been implicated in hepatic
inflammation in neonates including bacterial and viral pathogens, especially DNA viruses. We used molecular and antigenic methods to evaluate the role of DNA viruses, such as
hepatitis type B viruses (HBV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and adenovirus, in
neonatal hepatitis complications. Twenty-six
paraffin-embedded biopsy and autopsy tissues obtained between 1996 and 2007 from 22 infants with
neonatal hepatitis were studied retrospectively. The genome prevalence of HBV, HCMV, HSV, and adenovirus were analysed using qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocols. The antigenic presentation of HSV-1, HSV-2, HBV, HCMV, and adenovirus were evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) methods. The HCMV genome was detected separately in 1 of 22 (4.5%)
paraffin-embedded autopsy and biopsy tissues. Also 3/22 (13.6%) samples were infected with HBV and HSV genomes. HBV and HSV-1
antigens were present in 1/26 (4.5%) neonatal samples and HSV-2
antigens in 5/26 (22.7%) by IHC protocols, but adenovirus and HCMV
antigens were not detected among samples from infants with
neonatal hepatitis. Detection of separate
co-infections of HSV, HCMV, and HBV genomes in autopsy and biopsy tissues of HBV and HSV-1 or HSV-2
antigens in these patients, showed the importance of these
viral infections in clinical
neonatal hepatitis.