title: Clinical features and viral sequences of various genotypes of hepatitis B virus compared among patients with acute hepatitis B.
abstract: Clinical manifestations and viral sequences of core promoter and precore/core region were compared among various genotypes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 25 patients with acute hepatitis. The genotype in patients with acute hepatitis was distributed differently from that among chronic hepatitis patients in Japan, which are predominantly genotypes B and C. Of 25 patients with acute hepatitis, 14 had genotype A, five genotype B and six genotype C. Serum total bilirubin levels were significantly higher in patients with genotype A than in those with genotype C. Prothrombin time was shorter in patients with genotype B than those with genotype A or C. Total bilirubin was lower in patients with short duration of acute hepatitis. The serum ALT value remained above 1000 IU/l for over 10 days in 79% of patients with genotype A. This prolonged duration of hepatitis in patients with genotype A may contribute to hyperbilirubinemia. Sequence analysis revealed no difference in the number of mutations in precore/core regions among the three genotypes. Although the double mutation, A-T and G-A at 1762 and 1764, respectively, was found in two patients each with genotype A and C, these mutations were not related to the hepatitis B e antibody (HbeAg)/hepatitis B e antibody (HbeAb) phenotype. Two of seven patients with thymidine at 1858 also had a G to A mutation at 1896. Thus, the difference in the genotype little influenced the HBeAg/HBeAb phenotype in acute hepatitis patients. Understanding the viral genotypes in acute HBV infection may be valuable in predicting the clinical course of acute hepatitis B (AHB).
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawadacho, Shinjuku-ku, 162-8666, Tokyo, Japan
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Takuma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naritomi
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Torii
authors.forename: Naoaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayashi