The Brescia division of the Italian Association of Blood donors (AVIS-
Brescia) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1985. The idea of organizing
a Postgraduate Course on Viral Hepatitis on this occasion developed for
ob- vious reasons. Viral hepatitis is a major concern in blood
transfusion and Brescia is located in the region of Lombardy
characterized by a high HBsAg carrier rate in its population. Thus it
seemed timely to convene a scientific forum in which the present state
of knowledge on viral hepatitis would be summarized. This would allow us
to review the tremendous progress achieved over the last 15 years, and
also to focus on latest developments which pave the way for future
investigation. The publication of the proceedings of this meeting was
considered use- ful, since it provides a tangible reminder of a
comprehensive overview of the broad topic of viral hepatitis, its
complications, and its connections with the practice of blood
transfusion. The organizers were fortunate in obtaining the active
participation of recognized experts in a variety of hepatological
diSCiplines. Their contri- butions summarized the more mature areas of
knowledge in the field, in- cluding clinical aspects, epidemiology and
morphology, as well as newer developments in the forefront of hepatitis
research, like new diagnostic techniques, oncogenesis, treatment, and
vaccination.