Analysis of hepatitis B precore region in serum and liver of chronic hepatitis B virus carriers.
Using an oligonucleotide hybridization assay we studied the prevalence of wild-type and the predominant pre-core mutant hepatitis B virus in serum and liver of 49 antibody to hepatitis B e antigen carriers and three hepatitis B e antigen positive patients. Of the 45 serum samples from the anti-HBe carriers analyzed (no serum sample was available in four patients), 36 (80%) had hepatitis B virus DNA. In 26 of these 36 patients (72%) a mixed population was detected, wild-type genome alone was found in six patients (16%), the single mutant (nucleotide position 1896), in three cases (8%) and in one patient (2%) the viral DNA had the two nucleotide mutation (1896 and 1899). Of the liver biopsies from the 36 anti-HBe patients studied (no liver biopsy was available in 13 patients), 33 (92%) had hepatitis B virus DNA. A mixed viral population was detected in 23 patients (69%), only wild-type virus or a single mutation was found in eight (34%) and two patients (8%), respectively. In all cases, wild-type was the predominant genome. In serum and liver samples from the same patient, we found a concordance of the presence of wild-type HBV and the pre-core mutants studied in 23/26 (88%) of the patients. Alanine aminotransferase levels were higher (p < 0.01) and the duration of hepatitis B surface antigen carrier lower (p < 0.02) in patients with a predominance of precore mutant in comparison to wild-type.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
López-Alcorocho
J M
JM
Hepatology Unit, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain.
Moraleda
G
G
Bartolomé
J
J
Castillo
I
I
Cotonat
T
T
Aguilar
J
J
Ortega
E
E
Pons
J A
JA
Salmerón
J
J
Vázquez-Iglesias
J L
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001483:Base Sequence; D002353:Carrier State / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D000410:Alanine Transaminase