Clinical and virological characteristics of chronic hepatitis B with concurrent hepatitis B E antigen and antibody detection

[Guest guest]

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/jvh/2011/00000018/00000009/art00007

Journal of Viral Hepatitis, Volume 18, Number 9

Clinical and virological characteristics of chronic hepatitis B with concurrent

hepatitis B E antigen and antibody detection

Authors: Wang, J.; Zhou, B.; Lai, Q.; Wang, Y.; Shen, G.; Wang, Z.; Chen, J.;

Hou, J.

Source: Journal of Viral Hepatitis, Volume 18, Number 9, 1 September 2011 , pp.

646-652(7)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

Summary.  The concurrent detection of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and its

corresponding antibody (anti-HBe) in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus

(HBV) infection is well established but the clinical features remain poorly

understood. Demographic information, clinical and laboratory data were collected

from 1624 consecutive inpatient records of patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Viral genotype, basic core promoter and precore mutations were determined by

direct sequencing. In vitro HBeAg and anti-HBe binding experiments were

conducted with three pairs of HBeAg-positive and anti-HBe-positive serum

samples, which were mixed at variable ratios and incubated at 37 °C for

3-24 h. Of the 1624 chronic patients, 169 (10.4%) had concurrent HBeAg and

anti-HBe positivity, and this was associated with intermediate age and HBV-DNA

load, higher alanine aminotransferase level and more pronounced liver damage

compared with HBeAg-positive or anti-HBe-positive patients alone. HBeAg and

anti-HBe titres (median and interquartile range, S/CO) in the concurrent

positive group were 4.2 (1.8-9.6) and 0.54 (0.27-0.72), which were closer to

their respective cut-off values than those of HBeAg-positive or

anti-HBe-positive groups alone. For the cases successfully sequenced, 110/134

(82.1%) harboured T1762/A1764 or/and A1896 mutants. The binding experiments

showed that HBeAg and anti-HBe could be concurrently observed provided an

optimal ratio (HBeAg to anti-HBe) was chosen. In antiviral treatment-naive

patients, concurrence of HBeAg and anti-HBe was not uncommon, and such patients

had profound liver disease. An optimal ratio between HBeAg and anti-HBe led to

their concurrent detection when sera were tested by sensitive assays.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2010.01345.x

Affiliations:1: Hepatology Unit and Key Lab for Organ Failure Research, Nanfang

Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China

Publication date: 2011-09-01