Core Promoter and Pre-Core Variants of the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Are Frequent in Chronic Hepatitis B HBeAg-Negative Patients Infected by Genotypes A and D
Tania Reuter,
Michele Soares Gomes-Gouvea,
Samira Chuffi,
Ulisses Horst Duque,
Waltesia Perini,
Raymundo Soares Azevedo,
João Renato Rebello Pinho
Affiliations
Tania Reuter
Internal Medicine Department, Health Science Center, University Hospital Cassiano Antônio de Moraes, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória 29041-295, ES, Brazil
Michele Soares Gomes-Gouvea
LIM-07, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo 05403-907, SP, Brazil
Samira Chuffi
LIM-07, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo 05403-907, SP, Brazil
Ulisses Horst Duque
Internal Medicine Department, Health Science Center, University Hospital Cassiano Antônio de Moraes, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória 29041-295, ES, Brazil
Waltesia Perini
Internal Medicine Department, Health Science Center, University Hospital Cassiano Antônio de Moraes, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória 29041-295, ES, Brazil
Raymundo Soares Azevedo
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
João Renato Rebello Pinho
LIM-07, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo 05403-907, SP, Brazil
In Brazil, hepatitis B virus endemicity is low, moderate, or high in some areas, such as Espírito Santo State in the southeast region. In this study, we intend to characterize the basal core promoter (BCP) and pre-core region (PC) variants and their association with clinical/epidemiological disease patterns in patients infected with genotypes A and D. The study included 116 chronic hepatitis B patients from Espírito Santo State, Southeast Brazil, infected with genotypes A and D. Basal core promoter (BCP) and pre-core mutations were analyzed in these patients. The frequency of BCP and PC mutations was compared with age, HBeAg status, HBV genotype and subgenotype, HBV-DNA level, clinical classification, and transmission route. HBeAg-negative status was found in 101 (87.1%) patients: 87 (75.0%) were infected with genotype A (A1 = 85; A2 = 2) and 29 (25.0%) were infected with genotype D (D3 = 24; D4 = 3; D2 = 2). BCP + PC variants altogether were more frequent (48.1%) in genotype D than in genotype A strains (6.0%) (p p p p p = 0.047), reinforcing their role in viral replication.
