Chronic hepatitis C infectionunlike hepatitis B virus infection has not been shown to have any particular histological markers. This study aims to determine the set of features ,if any, that distinguishes HCV from HBV infections histologically. Fourty liver biopsies of chronic HCV infection proved by PCR and 47 liver biopsies of chronic HBV infection proved sero-logically were screened for eight his­tological features. The features ob­served included bile duct abnormality {bile duct damage and/or ductuiar proliferation), lymphoid structures (lymphoid follicles and /or aggregates) in the portal tracts, small droplet fatty change, large droplet fatty change, activation of sinusoidal inflammation, liver cell multinucleation, liver cell dys-plasia, and periportal Mallory body-
like material. The best set of histologi­cal features most likely to be associat­ed with HCV rather than HBV by the logistic regression analysis was bile duct abnormality [odds ratio (OR) 2.99 & 95% Confidence Interval (Cl) 1.01-8.9], Lymphoid follicles and/or aggregates (OR 3.4 & 95% Cl 1.5-10.9), small droplet fatty change (OR 4.9 & 95% Cl 1.7-14.3) and Mallory body-like material (OR 6.38 & 95% Cl 1.7-24.4) . It seems that these set of histologica! features are of atmost im­portance in tha diagnosis of hepatitis C infection.