Levels of pre-S antigens and HBV DNA in sera from high and low viremic HBV carriers.
The biological and clinical significances of pre-S antigens and HBV replication were investigated. Some 125 sera, 28 from HBeAg and 97 from anti-HBe-positive HBsAg, carriers were studied. The aim was to verify whether pre-S antigens could be expressed in serum in complete absence of viremia. Pre-S proteins, determined by an enzyme immunoassay, were found in sera regardless of the presence of HBV DNA, as detected by spot-hybridization. The sera without detectable HBV DNA were investigated further by PCR using specific primers for the S and C regions of HBV. PCR analysis of samples revealed that 4 out of 5 HBeAg and 33 out of 41 (80.5%) anti-HBe positive sera contained HBV-amplified sequences of S and C regions. Pre-S antigen values correlated well with the amounts of HBV DNA in serum detected by PCR in anti-HBe-positive subjects with high titers of pre-S antigens (10(4)-10(6)). In addition, PCR highlighted the presence of HBV DNA sequences in 8 out of 17 (47.1%) pre-S-negative HBsAg-positive sera.
Garbuglia
A R
AR
Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy.
Manzin
A
A
Budkowska
A
A
Taliani
G
G
Clementi
M
M
Delfini
C
C
Carloni
G
G
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001483:Base Sequence; D002353:Carrier State; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000097:blood; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood; D014766:Viremia; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000276:immunology
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D004279:DNA, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D011498:Protein Precursors