title: Infectious source factors affecting the severity of sexually transmitted acute hepatitis due to hepatitis B virus genotype C.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Endoscopy Center, Ehime University School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan.
authors.forename: Kojiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Michitaka
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Horiike
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yatsuhashi
authors.forename: Michitami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: Naohiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohkubo
authors.forename: Yosikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Naofumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Morikazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onji
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D000410:Alanine Transaminase