Novel hepatitis B virus strain developing due to recombination between genotypes H and B strains isolated from a Japanese patient. Issue 11 (25th October 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Uchida, Yoshihito; Kouyama, Jun‐ichi; Naiki, Kayoko; Sugawara, Kayoko; Inao, Mie; Nakayama, Nobuaki; Mochida, Satoshi
• Is Part Of: Hepatology research. Volume 44:Issue 11(2014:Nov.)
• Page Start: 1130
• Page End: 1141
• Publication Date: 2013-10-25
• Subjects: Liver -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Liver Diseases -- Periodicals; Foie -- Maladies -- Périodiques; 616.362
• DOI: 10.1111/hepr.12238
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1386-6346

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="hepr12238-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Aim</title> <p>In Japan, genotypes B and C are the predominant genotypes isolated from patients with chronic hepatitis B, while genotype A predominates in patients with acute hepatitis B. Globalization, however, appears to have changed the distribution of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes. Thus, the viral characteristics of HBV genotypes other than genotypes A, B and C were examined.</p> </sec> <sec id="hepr12238-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>Screening of genotypes was performed by enzyme immunoassay and/or polymerase chain reaction INVADER method in 222 patients with HBV. The full‐length nucleotide sequences of unusual strains were compared to those in the database, followed by construction of a phylogenetic tree.</p> </sec> <sec id="hepr12238-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Unusual HBV strains were isolated from two patients: a 27‐year‐old Japanese bisexual man with acute hepatitis B with HIV co‐infection and a 52‐year‐old Japanese man with chronic hepatitis B. The former strain was classified as genotype H, showing an overall identity of 99.8% to the Thailand strain (EU498228), while the nucleotide sequence of the latter strain showed similarity to the genotype B strains isolated in Malaysia (JQ027316) and Indonesia (JQ429079) between DR2 and DR1 in the X region, with identities of 96.9%. However, this strain was classified as genotype H by full‐length sequence analysis, and the sequence between nt2023 and nt2262 showed no similarity to that in any previously reported strains.</p> </sec> <sec id="hepr12238-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>HBV strains showing recombination between genotype B and H strains were found even in chronic hepatitis patients in Japan. Globalization may yield HBV strains of possible novel genotypes containing novel nucleotide sequences in the precore/core region.</p> </sec> </abstract>