GPT and Hepatic fibrosis: Among 323 HBeAg-negative patients, 136 had persistently serum HBV-DNA<2000IU/ml and normal ALT during the >1-year monitoring before the collection of blood sample for this study, a profile compatible with HBeAg-negative infection [2]: 91 with genotype D, 29 with genotype A and 16 with genotype E. Among these 136 patients, liver fibrosis assessment was available for 32 patients: all of them were characterized by with no/limited fibrosis.