Weinberger, Klaus Michael and Bauer, T. and Boehm, S. and Jilg, Wolfgang (2000) High genetic variability of the group-specific a-determinant of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and the corresponding fragment of the viral polymerase in chronic virus carriers lacking detectable HBsAg in serum. JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY, 81. pp. 1165-1174. ISSN 0022-1317, 1465-2099
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) usually show hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in their sera, which is considered the best marker for acute and chronic HBV infection. In some individuals, however, this antigen cannot be detected by routine serological assays despite the presence of virus in liver and peripheral blood. One reason for this lack of HBsAg might be mutations in the part of the molecule recognized by specific antibodies. To test this hypothesis, the HBV S gene sequences were determined of isolates from 33 virus carriers who were negative for HBsAg but showed antibodies against the virus core (anti-HBc) as the only serological marker of hepatitis B. Isolates from 36 HBsAg-positive patients served as controls. In both groups, a considerable number of novel mutations were found. In isolates from individuals with anti-HBc reactivity only, the variability of the major hydrophilic loop of HBsAg, the main target for neutralizing and diagnostic antibodies, was raised significantly when compared with the residual protein (22.6 vs 9.4 mutations per 1000 amino acids; P < 0.001) and with the corresponding region in the controls (22.6 vs 7.5 exchanges per 1000 residues; P < 0.001). A similar hypervariable spot was identified in the reverse transcriptase domain of the viral polymerase, encoded by the same nucleotide sequence in an overlapping reading frame. These findings suggest that at least some of the chronic low-level carriers of HBV, where surface antigen is not detected, could be infected by diagnostic escape mutants and/or by variants with impaired replication.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | LIVER-TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS; INFECTED CHILDREN; IMMUNE GLOBULIN; CHAIN-REACTION; CORE ANTIGEN; C VIRUS; RESISTANCE; REPLICATION; LAMIVUDINE; SELECTION; |
| Subjects: | 600 Technology > 610 Medical sciences Medicine |
| Divisions: | Medicine > Lehrstuhl für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 10 May 2022 09:38 |
| Last Modified: | 10 May 2022 09:38 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/42529 |
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