title: Molecular and serological characterization of hepatitis B virus in deferred Ghanaian blood donors with and without elevated alanine aminotransferase.
abstract: Candidate blood donors in Ghana are frequent carriers of hepatitis B virus (HBV). A comparative study of 117 donor samples including 46 with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) > or = 60 IU/L and 71 with < or =40 IU/L level was undertaken. S and the basic core promoter-precore regions (BCP/PC) sequencing was used to identify genotypes and variants relevant to HBV natural history, respectively. Age, viral load, HBe status were correlated with molecular data. HBV genotype E (87%) was dominant with little genotypes A (10%) and D (3%). Comparing individuals with or without liver disease, an association between liver disease and older age (P = 0.004) and higher viral load (P = 0.002) whether as a whole population or only genotype E was found. Compared with a commercial assay, BCP/PC sequencing had lower sensitivity to detect mixtures of wild-type and variant viruses but detected BCP deletions. BCP 1762/1764 variants were positively correlated with older age (P < 0.0001) and elevated ALT levels (P = 0.01). PC 1896 stop codon was marginally correlated with viral load (P = 0.09). HBV genotype E infection natural history appears different from genotypes B and C prevalent in Asia. Donors with liver disease being older, with higher viral load and higher BCP variant proportion may be at higher risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: National Blood Service, Cambridge Blood Centre, Long Road, Cambridge, UK. dc241@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Candotti
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Opare-Sem
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rezvan
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sarkodie
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Allain
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood*; D001483:Base Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D001782:Blood Donors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000821:virology*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D000410:Alanine Transaminase