title: Horizontal transmission of de novo hepatitis B between spouses: A case report.
abstract: We report a female patient with acute hepatitis B due to horizontal transmission of hepatitis B virus from her husband, who suffered from de novo hepatitis B. A 48-year-old man underwent peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. Nine months after the initial treatment, he was referred to our hospital because of jaundice. Laboratory data showed elevated serum aminotransferase levels and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity. We diagnosed de novo hepatitis B because a pre-PBSCT serum sample was negative for HBsAg and positive for anti-hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb). His liver function improved with entecavir therapy. Two months after his diagnosis of hepatitis B, his 31-year-old wife was admitted with fever and appetite loss. She was diagnosed with acute hepatitis B because of increased serum aminotransferase levels and HBsAg and immunoglobulin M HBcAb positivity. Sequencing of HBV DNA in the serum obtained from both patients showed 99.9% homology. Therefore, we diagnosed her acute hepatitis B as due to horizontal transmission of de novo hepatitis B from her husband. HBV derived from de novo hepatitis B should be considered a potential source of infection, although intrafamilial transmission of de novo hepatitis B is rare.
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mawatari
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uto
authors.affiliation: Department of HGF Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moriuchi
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tabu
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muromachi
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Eriko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tabu
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Imanaka
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oshige
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamai
authors.affiliation: Division of Virology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of HGF Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.|Kagoshima City Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirohito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsubouchi
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Lifestyle Diseases, Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.|Department of HGF Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ido
keywords: de novo hepatitis; hepatitis B virus reactivation; immunosuppressive therapy; intrafamilial transmission; peripheral blood stem cell transplantation