Sera from 12 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus (HBV), on lamivudine as part of an antiretroviral therapy, were retrospectively analysed for the presence of HBV polymerase mutations by the line probe assay, INNO-LiPA HBV DR, and by the direct sequencing assay, TRUGENE HBV genotyping kit. Results at codons 180, 204 and 207 were compared for 44 samples. Full...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a serious risk factor for several severe liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV, like other viruses, uses several mechanisms to escape from specific immune responses including the use of mutations in the genome which lead to epitope variations. There are several immune responses, including T helper cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes,...

BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a dynamic disease that may be affected by immune changes in pregnancy. Guidelines suggest consideration of nucleos/tide analogs (NA), i.e., tenofovir, (TDF) in highly viremic mothers to reduce vertical transmission risk. HBV variability affects CHB outcome, but little is known about HBV genetic changes in pregnancy due to immune or NA selection. OBJECTI...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) gene and protein variations have frequently been observed in chronic patients. The aims of this study were to determine the genotypes as well as the patterns of HBsAg variations in chronically-infected patients from the south-eastern part of Iran. METHODS Twenty- one chronic inactive HBV carriers from Sistan-Balouchestan Province (an area with a low prevalen...

Infectious entry of hepatitis B viruses (HBV) has nonconventional facets. Here we analyzed whether a cell-permeable peptide [translocation motif (TLM)] identified within the surface protein of human HBV is a general feature of all hepadnaviruses and plays a role in the viral life cycle. Surface proteins of all hepadnaviruses contain conserved functional TLMs. Genetic inactivation of the duck HB...

The S protein of hepatitis B virus is the principal component of virus envelope and the primary target of anti-HBs response. Mutants or variants that escape neutralization by anti-HBs have been selected during immunoprophylaxis of HBV after birth and liver transplantation. We investigated a case of a Korean child who was vaccinated at birth against hepatitis B and also given hepatitis B immunog...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevalence of occult HBV infection (OBI) among children and to characterize virology of occult HBV, we conducted an epidemiological survey. METHODS 186 HB-vaccinated infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers were included in the study. Serological tests for HBV markers were performed using commercial ELISA kits. Real-time quantitative PCR and nested PCR were used to ...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) presents a higher residual risk of transmission by transfusion than hepatitis C virus (HCV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). While most infectious blood units are removed by screening for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), there is clear evidence that transmission by HBsAg-negative components occurs, in part, during the serologically negative window period, but m...

Approximately 250 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and at increased risk of developing cirrhosis hepatocellular carcinoma. The HBV genome persists as covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which serves template for all mRNA transcripts. Current nucleos(t)ide analogs used to treat do not directly target cccDNA thus cannot eradicate infection. H...

There are now seven nucleoside/tide analogues, along with interferon-α, that are approved by the FDA for the management of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, a disease affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. These medications, however, are limited in usefulness, and significant side effects and the emergence of viral escape mutants make the development of novel and updated t...