title: Molecular characterization of hepatitis B virus strains circulating in Belgian patients co-infected with HIV and HBV: overt and occult infection.
abstract: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have similar transmission routes, implying that patients infected with HIV are at particular risk for HBV infection. Patients who are co-infected with HIV and HBV progress more rapidly to end-stage liver disease and different HBV genotypes may have a distinct impact on disease progression. One hundred ninety-one anti-HBc-positive sera from Belgian patients co-infected with HIV and HBV were collected during 1998-2008. Full-length HBV genomes as well as large S or partial S genes were amplified and their molecular evolutionary history was analyzed. Clinically, 30 (65.8%) patients were categorized as "overt infection" and 16 (34.7%) cases were categorized as "occult infection." Five distinct HBV genotypes comprising A (69.6%), E (19.6%), followed by D, C, and G were detected. HBV genotype A was observed in all clinical groups and in patients with varying ethnical background. HBV genotype E could be detected in African patients who were mostly infected by heterosexual contacts. Several clinically important mutations at the HBs major hydrophilic region were detected in the new isolates but with no significant difference between occult and overt infection. The high prevalence of HBV genotype A in overt and occult cases, and in particular the detection of certain HBV subgenotypes in patients co-infected with HIV and HBV that carry diagnostic escape mutations, may provide useful information for national guidelines for prophylaxis and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mahmoud Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pourkarim
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lemey
authors.forename: Samad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amini-Bavil-Olyaee
authors.forename: Lieselot
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Houspie
authors.forename: Jannick
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verbeeck
authors.forename: Mustafizur
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vanwijngaerden
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nevens
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Ranst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens