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Hepatitis D virus is one of five well-defined viruses identified as causing agents of viral hepa­titis. Hepatitis D virus is a small, defective single-stranded RNA virus, which has been recently classified within the Deltavirus genus. Hepatitis D virus needs hepatitis B virus as a helper virus for its replication. It causes hepatitis only in patients who are concurrently infected with hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis D virus can cause coinfection when both viruses are transmitted simultaneously, or superinfection in those patients who are already infected with hepatitis B virus. The genome of hepatitis D virus consists of a single copy of circular 1.7-kb negative-sense single-stranded RNA. Hepatitis D virus RNA genome is the smallest known viral genome in the animal kingdom and resembles subviral plant pathogens, viroids. Our recent retros­pective study in 400 HBsAg-positive individuals showed that hepatitis D is a rare disease in Slovenia. Therefore, hepatitis D virus infection should be considered a less likely cause of chronic hepatitis B exacerbations in Slovenia.