TY - JOUR
T1 - Identification of mutations in the S gene of hepatitis B virus in HIV positive Mexican patients with occult hepatitis B virus infection
AU - Enriquez-Navarro, Karina
AU - Maldonado-Rodriguez, Angelica
AU - Rojas-Montes, Othon
AU - Torres-Ibarra, Rocio
AU - Bucio-Ortiz, Leticia
AU - De la Cruz, Miguel A.
AU - Torres-Flores, Jesus
AU - Xoconostle-Cazares, Beatriz
AU - Lira, Rosalia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Fundación Clínica Médica Sur, A.C.
PY - 2020/9/1
Y1 - 2020/9/1
N2 - Introduction and aim: Occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) is characterized by the presence of replication-competent hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the liver and/or serum of patients with undetectable levels of the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). Due to the shared infection routes HIV positive patients are at higher risk of developing OBI, thus, the aim of this study was to determine the frequency of OBI in Mexican HIV-infected patients and to identify mutations in the HBV S gene that could be associated to the development of OBI. Materials and methods: Plasma samples from 50 HIV-infected patients with undetectable levels of the HBsAg were obtained and analyzed. The Core, PreS and S genes were amplified by nested PCR and sequenced by the Sanger method. To analyze HBV diversity in the OBI-positive patients, ten sequences of 762 bp from the HBV S gene were selected, cloned, and subsequently sequenced for mutational analyses. Results: OBI infection was found with a frequency of 36% (18/50). All the HBV sequences corresponded to the H genotype. The most common mutations were: C19Y, Q129H, E164D, and I195M, with a frequency of 44%, 36%, 39% and 48% respectively. Conclusions: In this study, we report the presence of OBI in a cohort of Mexican HIV-infected patients with an overall prevalence of 36%. Mutational analyses revealed that four non-silent mutations were frequent in different regions of the HBsAg gene, suggesting that they might be associated to the development of OBI in this population, nevertheless, further studies are required to determine their role in the pathogenesis of OBI.
AB - Introduction and aim: Occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) is characterized by the presence of replication-competent hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the liver and/or serum of patients with undetectable levels of the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). Due to the shared infection routes HIV positive patients are at higher risk of developing OBI, thus, the aim of this study was to determine the frequency of OBI in Mexican HIV-infected patients and to identify mutations in the HBV S gene that could be associated to the development of OBI. Materials and methods: Plasma samples from 50 HIV-infected patients with undetectable levels of the HBsAg were obtained and analyzed. The Core, PreS and S genes were amplified by nested PCR and sequenced by the Sanger method. To analyze HBV diversity in the OBI-positive patients, ten sequences of 762 bp from the HBV S gene were selected, cloned, and subsequently sequenced for mutational analyses. Results: OBI infection was found with a frequency of 36% (18/50). All the HBV sequences corresponded to the H genotype. The most common mutations were: C19Y, Q129H, E164D, and I195M, with a frequency of 44%, 36%, 39% and 48% respectively. Conclusions: In this study, we report the presence of OBI in a cohort of Mexican HIV-infected patients with an overall prevalence of 36%. Mutational analyses revealed that four non-silent mutations were frequent in different regions of the HBsAg gene, suggesting that they might be associated to the development of OBI in this population, nevertheless, further studies are required to determine their role in the pathogenesis of OBI.
KW - Hepatitis B surface antigen
KW - Major hydrophilic region
KW - Molecular diagnostics
KW - Occult hepatitis B virus infection
KW - S protein mutations
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087511335&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.aohep.2020.06.002
DO - 10.1016/j.aohep.2020.06.002
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 32592870
AN - SCOPUS:85087511335
SN - 1665-2681
VL - 19
SP - 507
EP - 515
JO - Annals of Hepatology
JF - Annals of Hepatology
IS - 5
ER -