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Article
Hepatitis may precede the occurrence of precore region mutation in hepatitis B virus genome during infection in young carriers
Article first published online: 7 DEC 2005
DOI: 10.1002/jmv.1890440215
Copyright © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company
1096-9071/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=0dade998bc6232d09bc91c43270b9d2734a6bca3 "Journal of Medical Virology")
Additional Information
How to Cite
Xuan-Thanh, N., Fukuda, R. and Fukumoto, S. (1994), Hepatitis may precede the occurrence of precore region mutation in hepatitis B virus genome during infection in young carriers. J. Med. Virol., 44: 200–205. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890440215
Publication History
- Issue published online: 7 DEC 2005
- Article first published online: 7 DEC 2005
- Manuscript Accepted: 23 FEB 1994
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- HBeAg seroconversion;
- young carrier;
- mutant clone
Abstract
To understand when the mutation with a stop codon of precore region in hepatitis B virus genome occurs, the prevalence of the mutation of viral DNA clones propagated from sera of school-age carriers was investigated with respect to hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)/anti-HBe and sequential changes of mutants along HBeAg seroconversion were analyzed.
Of 32 carriers aged 8–18 years, 14 HBeAg(+) patients had 2.2% mutant clones, whereas 8 patients with low titer anti-HBe had a higher rate of 18.1% (P < 0.01) and the highest rate of 61.3% was found in 10 patients with high anti-HBe titer (P < 0.001). By contrast, the amount of viral DNA decresed significantly in patients with anti-HBe. Sequential analysis in six cases revealed three types of seroconversion with time difference of the emergence and increase of mutant clones.
It is concluded that mutation occurs at a relatively young age and increases along time and/or HBeAg seroconversion. Hepatitis might precede or accelerate the emergence and increse of mutant population which might be predictive of sustained resolution of the disease.