title: Detection of precore/core-mutant hepatitis B virus genome in patients with acute or fulminant hepatitis without serological markers for recent HBV infection.
abstract: To confirm the possibility that some hepatitis B virus (HBV) variants do not induce HB s antigen (HBsAg), anti-HB core antibody (anti-HBc) and anti-HBc IgM in a transient infection, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed in 20 patients with acute hepatitis and 7 patients with fulminant hepatitis. Patients were diagnosed with non-A, non-B hepatitis by serological markers at admission. PCR successfully amplified the precore/core gene in 5 (25%) of the patients with acute hepatitis and 2 (29%) of the patients with fulminant hepatitis. Subsequent sequencing revealed frequent mutations including precore-defects in the precore/core gene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Aye
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirashima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shikata
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Komine
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moriyama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arakawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takase
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mima
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D014758:Viral Core Proteins