title: Precore mutant of hepatitis B virus in childhood fulminant hepatitis B: an infrequent association.
abstract: Serum HBV DNA from infants and children with fulminant hepatitis B (FHB) or acute self-limiting hepatitis B (AHB) and patients believed to be contamination sources was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by direct sequencing of the precore region. A precore mutation from G to A at nucleotide 1896 was found in 5 of 14 FHB patients and in 3 of 10 AHB patients. Among the 10 infants who developed hepatitis during the first 6 months of age, the precore mutation was detected in only 2 of 7 with FHB and in 1 of 3 with AHB. In 1 infant with FHB, a shift from wild type to precore mutant predominance occurred in the serum virus population during the incubation period. Thus, the precore mutation is neither necessary nor sufficient to cause FHB in childhood, although its contributory role cannot be excluded. Factors other than precore mutations may be important in the pathogenesis of FHB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Republic of China.
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D001483:Base Sequence; D002353:Carrier State; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000821:virology*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000821:virology*; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017354:Point Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens