Hepatitis B surface antigen reactivity in man due to a new variant of hepatitis B virus.
A new type of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been encountered in Senegalese infants and French adults characterized by serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) without antibodies to the core antigen (anti-HBc). As the infection is not associated with the presence of the e antigen, it differs from HBV in its core antigen. After the loss of HBsAg, neither anti-HBc nor antibodies to HBsAg (anti-HBs) become detectable. This new infection (called HBV2 as opposed to the classical HBV1 infection) was found in infants with anti-HBs, either naturally acquired or produced by immunization against HBV. The use of monoclonal anti-HBs antibodies showed that two epitopes of HBV1 surface antigen could be detected in HBV2-positive sera. HBV DNA sequences could only be found in one of 15 HBV2-infected children using a DNA-DNA hybridization procedure; low levels of HBV DNA were also detected in 58% of the HBsAg-positive adult sera tested. If this new infection, apparently related to HBV1, is shown to cause chronic liver disease, hepatitis B vaccine should also contain surface antigen from HBV2.
Coursaget
P
P
Institut de Virologie de Tours, Faculté de Pharmacie, Paris, France.
Yvonnet
B
B
Bourdil
C
C
Buisson
Y
Y
Chotard
J
J
N'Doye
R
R
Molinié
C
C
Diop-Mar
I
I
Chiron
J P
JP
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005602:France; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012675:Senegal
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens