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Implications of isolated HBsAg positivity: Hepatitis B virus variant and immune incompetence
Author(s) -
WU J.S.,
NII S.L.,
CHOU W.H.,
SHEU L.,
LIU W.T.,
CHEN C.Y.,
TANG B.H.,
LU C.F.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.1993.tb01672.x
Subject(s) - hbsag , medicine , hbeag , virology , hepatitis b virus , antibody , antigen , hepatitis b , polymerase chain reaction , virus , immunology , biology , gene , biochemistry
In order to study the implications of isolated hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity, 24 041 serum samples from schoolchildren aged 6–12 years were tested for HBsAg, antibody to HBsAg (anti‐HBs) and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti‐HBc) by radio‐immunoassay. Five hundred and sixty‐two (2.3%) of the 24 041 cases were positive for HBsAg but negative for both anti‐HBs and anti‐HBc. The second and third testings were performed 1–4 and 5–9 months after the initial testing. The cases of group (V), those who lost HBsAg within 9 months, had low titres of HBsAg and were negative for both hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and antibody to HBeAg (anti‐HBe); the cases of group (H), those who remained isolated HBsAg positive in the last testing, had high titres of HBsAg and were positive for HBeAg. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA were detected by polymerase chain reaction method using oligonucleotide primers derived from C and pre‐C regions in 20 sera of group (V) and 11 sera of group (H). However, using primers from the S region, HBV DNA was detected in only 11 sera of group (H), but in none of 20 sera of group (V). On sequencing of HBV DNA from each two sera of both groups, nucleotide and amino acid sequences of C and pre‐C regions with high homology to that of the HBV‐adr strain were obtained from sera of both groups and also for S regions in group (H) but not in group (V). It is concluded that isolated HBsAg positivity could be ascribed to (i) HBV‐variant with probable mutation in the S region — (H); and (ii) immune incompetence of the host — (H); with prevalence rates of 2.17 and 0.087%, respectively, in the mass screening survey.