Editor,—Haydon et al (Gut1998;42:570–5) have found that hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA is present in the liver of 87% of unselected patients with circulating anti-HCV antibody (confirmed by recombinant immunoblot assay) and negative serum HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Furthermore, 70% of these patients had normal serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentrations. Previous experience from both our group and others would suggest that most of these patients would be HCV RNA negative in liver tissue, whether treated or untreated.1-3 In fact, Fong and colleagues have shown that eight patients with anti-HCV antibody, persistently normal ALT concentrations (mean 14.5 months), and negative serum HCV RNA, had no HCV RNA detectable in …