Pioneering work on hepatitis B virus and hepatitis delta virus, and the discovery of hepatitis B-like virus in animals during the 1970's has been followed, over the past ten years, by an explosion of interest in how these viruses replicate, maintain chronic infections, and cause liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. The purpose of this book is two-fold. First, the authors of each chapter provide a summary of their specialty that will not only serve as an introduction, but will also provide the newcomer to hepatitis B virology with up-to-date information and insights into the goals and...