The PEG‐IFN induced increase in sCD14 fits well with the notion that sCD14 is a marker of immune activation in a number of acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, including liver inflammation.30, 34 Since microbial translocation is known to contribute to inflammation in viral hepatitis patients,20 the observed increased sCD14 levels in HBV patients might also be partly due to release of CD14 from Kupffer cells upon stimulation by microbial products such as LPS.5 This evidence concerns the gene CD14 and animal viral hepatitis.