title: Characterization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) preS/S gene mutations in blood donors with occult HBV infection in the Baoji area of North China.
abstract: Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) in blood donors was investigated in the Baoji area of North China, and OBI-related viral mutations in donors were characterized.
  
  
  
  In total, 110,843 blood donor samples that were consecutively collected from December 2011 to March 2015 at the Baoji Blood Center were examined. Hepatitis B surface antigen-negative and HBV DNA-positive OBI samples were amplified for sequence analysis of OBI-related mutations in the HBV preS/S region. HBV genomes from 108 adult patients with chronic hepatitis B from North China were used as controls.
  
  
  
  OBI was detected in 60 (1:1847) individual blood donors. All OBI samples were negative for hepatitis B e-antigen, and 55 were positive for anti-hepatitis B core antigen. The preS/S genes were successfully sequenced for 43 OBI samples. OBI-related S gene mutations in the major hydrophilic region were detected more frequently in blood donors with OBI than that in controls (51.16 vs. 12.96%; p < 0.01). Specifically, the incidence of five OBI-related major hydrophilic region mutations (sS117T, sT118K, sT131N, sT134Y/L, and sD144E) was significantly higher in blood donors with OBI than in controls. In addition, the coexistence of multiple OBI-related mutations in the major hydrophilic region was detected more frequently in donors than in controls (30.23 vs. 1.85%; p < 0.01), and preS deletions greater than 33 base pairs also were detected more frequently in blood donors with OBI than in controls.
  
  
  
  OBI in blood donors should be addressed attentively in the Baoji area of North China, and HBV preS/S gene mutations may play an important role in OBI prevalence in the area.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Clinical and Translational Medicine/Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Clinical and Translational Medicine/Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jianhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Baoji Blood Center, Baoji, China.
authors.forename: Weiping
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Clinical and Translational Medicine/Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Clinical and Translational Medicine/Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhihui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Clinical and Translational Medicine/Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Clinical and Translational Medicine/Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Rongjuan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Clinical and Translational Medicine/Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lanlan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Si
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Baoji Blood Center, Baoji, China.
authors.forename: Jianxun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Clinical and Translational Medicine/Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Dongping
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D011498:Protein Precursors; C050806:presurface protein 1, hepatitis B surface antigen