title: Analysis of the hepatitis B virus genome and immune response in HBsAg, anti-HBs positive chronic hepatitis.
abstract: Although the development of antibodies against the hepatitis B virus surface antigen generally leads to the clearance of the infecting virus, anti-HBs reactivity has been reported in patients with chronic hepatitis. In the present study we analyzed the viral genome and the antibody specificity in a series of serum samples collected from a patient who seroconverted to anti-HBs during interferon therapy without clearing HBsAg. The appearance of an anti-HBs response was accompanied by the emergence of a pre-S1 defective viral genome. However, the wild-type adw2 molecular species remained largely dominant during follow up. The patient's antibody response to the surface viral antigens was directed towards the heterologous y subdeterminant and the pre-S1 fragment deleted in the variant hepatitis B virus. These results suggest that the selection of the escape viral mutant does not play a major role in viral persistence.
authors.affiliation: Consorzio per le Biotecnologie, School of Medicine, University of Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fiordalisi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ghiotto
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castelnuovo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Primi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cariani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001483:Base Sequence; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens