title: Prevalence and virological features of occult hepatitis B virus infection in female sex workers who work uncontrolled in Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is little information about the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus infection (OHBVI). We have investigated the prevalence and virological features of OHBVI among female sex workers (FSWs) in Istanbul.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was tested in FSWs who work uncontrolled and were admitted to Venereal Diseases Hospital. HBV DNA and anti-HBs were investigated in all the HBsAg-negative cases. Hepatitis B envelope (HBe) antigen, anti-HBe, anti-hepatitis B core (HBc) antigen, HBV genotype, S gene and precore (PC)/basic core promoter (BCP) mutations were determined in HBV DNA-positive sera.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and eighty-six volunteers were enrolled and 32.5% (n=93) of them had anti-HBs positivity. HBV DNA (range 30-209 copy/ml) was positive in 11 anti-HBs-negative and two anti-HBs-positive cases. The prevalence of OHBVI was 4.5% (13/286). Anti-HBc was positive in 77% (10/13) of those with OHBVI and anti-HBe positivity was 53.8% (7/13). Only genotype D was present in all occult HBV-infected cases. One PC (G1896A) and one BCP (T1762/A1764) mutation was found, but S gene mutation was not detected in any of the samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this population, OHBVI may have a negligible role in the horizontal transmission because of a very low viral load, and PC and core promoter mutations are very rare.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterohepatology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Binnur
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pinarbasi
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Onel
authors.forename: Fulya
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cosan
authors.forename: Filiz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akyuz
authors.forename: Nezihe
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dirlik
authors.forename: Yilmaz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cakaloglu
authors.forename: Selim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Badur
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Besisik
authors.forename: Kadir
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.forename: Atilla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okten
authors.forename: Sabahattin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaymakoglu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D011477:Sex Work; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens