title: Transmission of hepatitis-B virus through salivary blood group antigens in saliva.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine an association between transmission of hepatitis B virus and secretor and non-secretor status of salivary blood group antigens.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional, analytical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Department of Physiology and Division of Hepatology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 2007 to 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty eight known patients, who were positive for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen [HBsAg] were recruited. Saliva was collected for investigating the secretor and non-secretor status by using blood typing kit number Kemtec Educational Science USA. Hepatitis B Surface antigen test was performed on Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay technique. Polymerase chain reaction [PCR] on saliva was also carried out in High Performance Thermal Cycler-Palm- Cycler [Corbett Life Science, Sydney, Australia] and enzymatic amplification of extracted viral DNA was performed using primers covering the promoter of the core region of HBV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 88 subjects, 61 belong to blood group O, 20 to A and 7 subjects to blood group B. Fifty subjects were secretors [salivary blood group antigens positive] and 38 subjects were non-secretors [salivary blood group antigens negative]. Among core gene positive 25 (69.4%) were secretors and 11 (30.6%) were non-secretors. However, in core gene negative 25 (48.1%) were secretors and 27 (51.9%) were non-secretors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The result shows an association [p=0.047] between secretor and non-secretors status of the salivary blood group antigens with core gene positive and core gene negative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, King Khalid University Hopital, King Saud University, Riyadh, KSA. sultanmeo@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Sultan Ayoub
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Meo
authors.forename: Ayman Assad
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Assad
authors.forename: Faisal M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Sanie
authors.forename: Nawab Din
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Baksh
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Qahtani
authors.forename: Zahoor Ali
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Shaikh
mesh_terms: D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000635:transmission*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D012463:Saliva / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001789:Blood Group Antigens