BACKGROUND Hepatitis B is a disease that has been gaining more and more interest of late with a lot of research being conducted on its pathogenicity, its structure, the epidemiology of the disease and prospects and outcomes of vaccination. It has captured so much attention because of its grievous consequences and widespread prevalence as well as the ease with which it can be controlled. Our objective was to assess trends in the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in a tertiary care hospital in Bangalore and to determine the HBV carrier rate, magnitude and pattern of HBV infected super carriers and simple carriers in patients positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a hospital-based prospective observational study. The prevalence of HBV infection was determined in a representative sample of the general population. It was a hospital-based prospective study. Study period being 2 months, June-August 2015 with sample size of 2061 samples. Inclusion Criteria: Samples taken randomly during inpatient routine screening, outpatient screening or blood bank donor screening. Exclusion Criteria: Subjects suffering from present liver disease or HIV positive at point of blood collection.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a parenterally transmitted virus that has assumed great clinical significance of late. The clinical presentation of HBV ranges from asymptomatic or unapparent infection to acute liver failure. Subsequent to acute manifestations, there is generally elimination of the virus by the body’s immune processes within 6 months, but the crux of the issue lies with the individuals who remain chronically infected, who could progress on to more severe forms of hepatic disease like cirrhosis and carcinoma, or may remain asymptomatic in the form of a carrier state