Infectious source factors affecting the severity of sexually transmitted acute hepatitis due to hepatitis B virus genotype C.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to identify clinical features and virological aspects of infectious sources that are related to the severity of sexually transmitted acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients, especially in cases of genotype C.


METHODS
Nineteen patients with acute HBV infection, 10 classified with severe acute hepatitis (SH) (prothrombin time; PT <40%) and 9 with typical acute hepatitis (AH) (PT >40%), and their infectious sources (all were sexual partners) were studied. Infectious source factors were analyzed in relation to the severity of hepatitis in the patients' partners.


RESULTS
The nucleotide homology of HBV-DNA between each pair was >/=98.9%. Sixteen were infected with HBV genotype C. Among the 16 infectious sources, age, numbers with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT, 7/9 vs. 1/7), anti-HBe positivity (8/9 vs. 1/7) and core promoter mutations at nt 1762 (7/9 vs. 1/7), nt 1764 (8/9 vs. 1/7) and precore mutation at nt 1896 (8/9 vs. 1/7) were significantly higher in the sources of SH than in those of AH.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher age, elevated ALT, anti-HBe positivity and core promoter/precore mutations were possible risk factors for an infectious source of the severe form of sexually transmitted acute hepatitis due to HBV genotype C.
Michitaka
Kojiro
K
Endoscopy Center, Ehime University School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan.
Horiike
Norio
N
Chen
Yan
Y
Yatsuhashi
Hiroshi
H
Yano
Michitami
M
Kojima
Naohiko
N
Ohkubo
Keiji
K
Tanaka
Yosikazu
Y
Yamamoto
Kazuhisa
K
Ohno
Naofumi
N
Onji
Morikazu
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017354:Point Mutation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012307:Risk Factors; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D015229:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology*
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D000410:Alanine Transaminase