Molecular epidemiology of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in Greece.

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J Med Virol. 2011 Feb;83(2):245-52.

Molecular epidemiology of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in Greece.

Asimina F, Dimitrios P, D, Mathaios M, Reiberger T, Nicolaos M.

Virology Laboratory, Papageorgiou Regional General Hospital, Thessaloniki,

Greece.

Abstract

Virological data on chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Greece are

limited. HBV genotypes, surface antigen (HBsAg) subtypes, and HBsAg " a "

determinant mutations among patients infected chronically with HBV, were

investigated. Serum samples from 135 HBsAg positive patients were tested.

Serologic (HBsAg, anti-HBs, HBeAg, and anti-HBe), virologic (HBV-DNA

quantitation) and biochemical markers (serum alanine aminotransferase/ALT and

aspartate aminotransferase/AST) were analyzed. HBV genotypes and HBsAg subtypes

were determined by partial sequencing of the S gene. Genotyping was performed by

using the National Center for Biotechnology Information online Genotyping tool

and phylogenetic analysis. Nucleotide sequences were aligned pair wise with

ClustalW and phylogenetic trees were constructed by the neighbor-joining method.

Sequences were also used to predict HBV HBsAg subtypes. In six patients (4%),

simultaneous presence of HBsAg and anti-HBs was determined, whereas 47 patients

(35%) were HBeAg positive, 84 (62.5%) were anti-HBe positive, and four patients

(3%) were characterized by the simultaneous presence of HBeAg and anti-HBe. Mean

ALT was 238 IU/L (standard deviation = 576.84), and HBV-DNA levels ranged

from 1.02 × 10(5) to 2.2 × 10(7) IU/ml. Genotype D was predominant

(98%), with viral groups D/ayw2 (73%) and D/ayw3 (27%). Group A/adw accounted

for 1% of cases. Genotypes B and C were found exclusively in the Chinese

immigrants (1%). Single or multiple point mutations were found in 35 cases

(26%). Some of the most common mutations occurred at amino acid positions 129,

133, 134, 144, 145, including the " vaccine escape " mutation G145R. Mutations

analysis revealed that amino acid substitutions did not affect detection by

commercial immunoassays.

J. Med. Virol. 83:245-252, 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 21181918 [PubMed - in process]