[Characterisation of an HBsAg mutant of hepatitis B virus (HBV) isolated from a dialysed patient involved in an occupational accident].
BACKGROUND
Mutants of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) following vaccination (escape mutants) have been isolated over the course of the last decade. They consist most commonly of an aminoacid change from glycine to arginine at position 145 of the highly antigenic a determinant of the surface antigen (HBsAg).


OBJECTIVE
Description of an escape mutant of HBV identified in the course of the post-exposure follow-up of a percutaneous exposure.


METHODS
The viral DNA was extracted from serum samples of a dialysed patient vaccinated against hepatitis B, who developed an acute infection. A direct sequencing was performed on the amplified DNA followed by a sequence analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
A threonine to lysine substitution at position 118 of HBsAg (Thrll8Lys) was observed in the analysed viral aminoacid sequence. Such mutation could have significantly changed the antigenic profile of the HBsAg compared to that of the wild type.
Mascagni
P
P
Unità Operativa di Medicina del Lavoro, Presidio Ospedaliero di Desio, Milano. paolo.mascagni@unimib.it
Romanò
Luisa
L
Scanziani
R
R
Toffoletto
F
F
D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D000940:Antigenic Variation; D001483:Base Sequence; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D016602:Needlestick Injuries; D009726:Nurses; D017354:Point Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014611:Vaccination; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic
D003062:Codon; D004279:DNA, Viral; C075654:Engerix-B; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic