Serum hepatitis δ Virus (HDV) RNA were detected by dot-blot hybridization in 176 hepatitis B patients using ~(32)P labelled HDV cDNA probe. Twenty five (14.2%) out of 176 were HDV RNA positive, indicating that Sichuan is a highly epidemical area of HDV; Thirty-six percent (9/25) of the patients with HDV RNA were HBV replication markers (HBeAg and/or HBV DNA) positive, which was much lower than that of no-HDV infected(72.2%, p<0.05), Suggesting that HDV could inhibit the replication of HBV at some condition;...