OCCULT HEPATITIS B VIRUS INFECTION AND ASSOCIATED GENOTYPES AMONG HBSAG-NEGATIVE SUBJECTS IN BURKINA FASO

Background: Occult Hepatitis B virus infection (OBI), is characterized by the absence of detectable HBsAg in the blood of a person assumed to be healthy. It remains a potential transmission threat and risk to HBV chronic infection. The purpose of this study was to determine the OBI prevalence among HBsAg negative subjects and to characterize associated genotypes.Methods: Blood samples of 219 HBsAg-negative subjects tested by ELISA were collected. HBV DNA was investigated in all samples. Viral loads were determined using quantitative real-time PCR. All samples were screened for HBV markers (anti-HBc, anti-HBe, HBsAg). The Pre-S/S region of the HBV genome was sequenced. The database was analyzed using the SPSS and Epi info softwares. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using the BioEdit and MEGA softwares.Results: Of the 219 samples, 20.1 % were anti-HBc positive, 1.8 % HBeAg and 22.8 % were anti-HBe positive. Fifty-six 56 (25.6 %) of the samples had a detectable HBV DNA and viral loads ranging from 4 IU/mL to 13.6 106 IU/mL. Sixteen of them (16/56) had a viral load < 200 IU/mL, resulting in an OBI prevalence of 7.3 % (16/219) in our study. The remaining 40 subjects had viral loads ˃ 200 IU/mL, resulting in a “false OBI” prevalence of 18.3% (40/219). HBV genotype E was predominant followed by the quasi-sub-genotype A3. A single "false OBI" strain had the characteristic mutation G145R. Other mutations were observed and all located in the major hydrophilic region (MHR) of the S gene.Conclusion: The study reported a prevalence of 7.3% of occult hepatitis B infection. It confirms the predominance of genotype E and the existence of a subgroup of quasi-sub-genotype A3 of HBV in Burkina Faso. It further provides information on the existence of “false OBI “. This study has found mutations in the major hydrophilic region (MHR) of the pre-S/S gene of HBV. Key words: HBV, OBI, Genotypes, Real-time PCR, Sequencing

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Tu1665 Reactivated Virus From Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection Is Characterized By Amino Acid Changes in the Major Hydrophilic Region of the S Gene

Gastroenterology ◽

10.1016/s0016-5085(16)33922-1 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 150 (4) ◽

pp. S1162

Author(s):

Tadashi Inuzuka ◽

Yoshihide Ueda ◽

Tomonori Matsumoto ◽

Haruhiko Takeda ◽

Hiroyuki Marusawa

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Hepatitis B Virus ◽

Virus Infection ◽

Hepatitis B ◽

Hepatitis B Virus Infection ◽

Major Hydrophilic Region ◽

Occult Hepatitis ◽

B Virus ◽

Occult Hepatitis B ◽

Hydrophilic Region

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Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection among HIV Positive Patients in Nigeria

Journal of Tropical Medicine ◽

10.1155/2014/796121 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Oluyinka Oladele Opaleye ◽

Adeolu Sunday Oluremi ◽

Adetona Babatunde Atiba ◽

Moses Olubusuyi Adewumi ◽

Olatunji Victor Mabayoje ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis B Virus ◽

Virus Infection ◽

Hepatitis B ◽

Hbv Dna ◽

Hiv Positive ◽

Hepatitis B Virus Infection ◽

Occult Hepatitis ◽

B Virus ◽

Occult Hepatitis B ◽

Detectable Hbsag

HIV has been known to interfere with the natural history of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In this study we investigate the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) among HIV-infected individuals in Nigeria. Overall, 1200 archived HIV positive samples were screened for detectable HBsAg using rapid technique, in Ikole Ekiti Specialist Hospital. The HBsAg negative samples were tested for HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HCV by ELISA. Polymerase chain reaction was used for HBV DNA amplification and CD4 counts were analyzed by cytometry. Nine hundred and eighty of the HIV samples were HBsAg negative. HBV DNA was detected in 21/188 (11.2%) of patients without detectable HBsAg. CD4 count for the patients ranged from 2 to 2,140 cells/μL of blood (mean = 490 cells/μL of blood). HCV coinfection was detected only in 3/188 (1.6%) of the HIV-infected patients (P>0.05). Twenty-eight (29.2%) of the 96 HIV samples screened were positive for anti-HBc. Averagely the HBV viral load was <50 copies/mL in the OBI samples examined by quantitative PCR. The prevalence of OBI was significantly high among HIV-infected patients. These findings highlight the significance of nucleic acid testing in HBV diagnosis in HIV patients.

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Occult hepatitis B virus infection in hemodialysis patients in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical ◽

10.1590/s0037-86822012000500004 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 45 (5) ◽

pp. 558-562 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Ana Cecília Cavalcanti de Albuquerque ◽

Maria Rosângela Cunha Duarte Coelho ◽

Marcílio Figueiredo Lemos ◽

Regina Célia Moreira

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis B Virus ◽

Virus Infection ◽

Hepatitis B ◽

Hemodialysis Patients ◽

Hbv Dna ◽

Hepatitis B Virus Infection ◽

Occult Infection ◽

Occult Hepatitis ◽

B Virus ◽

Occult Hepatitis B

INTRODUCTION: Persistence of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome in individuals negative for the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) reflects occult infection. The aim of this study was to identify occult HBV infection among hemodialysis patients at 5 clinics in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil, between August 2006 and August 2007. METHODS: Serum samples underwent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to investigate total antibodies against HBcAg (anti-HBc), HBsAg, and antibodies against HBsAg (anti-HBs). Samples that were HBsAg-negative were tested for total anti-HBc, and those that were positive for total anti-HBc were tested for anti-HBs. HBV DNA was investigated with an in-house PCR technique to identify samples positive for total anti-HBc. Subsequently, the samples positive for HBV DNA were sequenced to identify the genotype and mutations. RESULTS: The study population (n = 752) had a mean age of 50 15.1 years and included both sexes. All samples analyzed were negative for HBsAg. The seroprevalence of total anti-HBc was 26.7% (201/752), while that of anti-HBs was 67.2% (135/201). Total anti-HBc alone was detected in 5.7% of the patients. Occult infection was found in 1.5%, comprising genotypes A (33.3%, 1/3) and D (66.7%, 2/3). No mutations were found. CONCLUSIONS: The study detected occult hepatitis B virus infection in hemodialysis patients. Molecular studies on HBV are of fundamental importance because they identify patients that had been considered virus-negative but who, in reality, host the virus and have the ability to transmit it to other patients and staff.

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Molecular characterization of occult hepatitis B virus in genotype E-infected subjects

Journal of General Virology ◽

10.1099/vir.0.83347-0 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 89 (2) ◽

pp. 409-418 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Astrid Zahn ◽

Chengyao Li ◽

Kwabena Danso ◽

Daniel Candotti ◽

Shirley Owusu-Ofori ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Viral Load ◽

Hepatitis B Virus ◽

Hepatitis B ◽

Hbv Dna ◽

Core Antigen ◽

Entire Genome ◽

Occult Hepatitis ◽

B Virus ◽

Occult Hepatitis B ◽

Genotype E

Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI), defined as the presence of HBV DNA without detectable HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), is frequent in west Africa, where genotype E is prevalent. The prevalence of OBI in 804 blood donors and 1368 pregnant women was 1.7 and 1.5 %, respectively. Nine of 32 OBI carriers were evaluated with HBV serology, viral load and complete HBV genome sequence of two to five clones. All samples except one were anti-HBV core antigen-positive and three contained antibodies against HBsAg (anti-HBs). All strains were of genotype E and formed quasispecies with 0.20–1.28 % intra-sample sequence variation. Few uncommon mutations (absent in 23 genotype E reference sequences) were found across the entire genome. Two mutations in the core region encoded truncated or abnormal capsid protein, potentially affecting viral production, but were probably rescued by non-mutated variants, as found in one clone. No evidence of escape mutants was found in anti-HBs-carrying samples, as the ‘a’ region was consistently wild type. OBI carriers constitute approximately 10 % of all HBV DNA-viraemic adult Ghanaians. OBI carriers appear as a disparate group, with a very low viral load in common, but multiple origins reflecting decades of natural evolution in an area essentially devoid of human intervention.

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