title: Nucleoside analogues alone or combined with vaccination prevent hepadnavirus viremia and induce protective immunity: alternative strategy for hepatitis B virus post-exposure prophylaxis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current strategies for hepatitis B virus (HBV) post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) are not generally available in remote and rural areas of developing countries and/or carry potential risks for infection with blood-borne transmitted pathogens. Nucleotide analogues (NAs) are successfully used for human immunodeficiency virus PEP, and maybe effective for HBV PEP. In this study, we tested the NA-based strategies for HBV PEP using the Chinese woodchuck model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chinese woodchucks were inoculated intravenously with different doses of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). A deoxyguanosine analogue entacavir (ETV), a DNA vaccine pWHcIm, or ETV plus pWHcIm were applied to the infected animals 24h later. Twenty weeks later, the animals were re-challenged with WHV to test for the presence of immunity against WHV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inoculation with different WHV doses had a strong influence on the course of WHV infection; NA alone or in combination with a DNA vaccine completely prevented viremia after a high dose of WHV inoculation in Chinese woodchucks and induced partial or complete protective immunity, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NA-based PEP strategies (NA alone or in combination with vaccine) may be an alternative of HBV PEP, especially in those living in the remote and rural areas of the developing countries and the non-responders to the current vaccine, and may be valuable in the PEP of HBV and HIV co-infection after occupational and non-occupational exposure. Further clinical studies are warranted to confirm the valuable of NA-based strategies in HBV PEP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
authors.forename: Baoju
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
authors.forename: Zhenni
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
authors.forename: Junzhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
authors.forename: Zhitao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
authors.forename: Shunmei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control, Xining 811602, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control, Xining 811602, China.
authors.forename: Yuanqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control, Xining 811602, China.
authors.forename: Zhongdong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control, Xining 811602, China.
authors.forename: Hu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; Institut für Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Essen 45122, Germany. Electronic address: mengji.lu@uni-due.de.
authors.forename: Mengji
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China. Electronic address: dlyang@mails.tjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Dongliang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000379:methods; D006147:Guanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018347:Hepadnaviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D017919:Hepatitis B Virus, Woodchuck / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D056990:Post-Exposure Prophylaxis / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D014765:Viral Vaccines; C413685:entecavir; D006147:Guanine
keywords: Chinese woodchuck; DNA vaccination; Hepatitis B virus post-exposure prophylaxis; Marmota himalayana; Nucleotide analogue