Antigenic Diversity of Hepatitis B Virus Strains

Abstract:

MATERIALS AND METHODS The study comprised 141 serum samples from HBsAg carriers from the following populations:(i) Amerindians from Western Venezuela (Barı and Yukpa [n 23], with prevalences for HBV infection of 11.1 and 7.1%, respectively [3]);(ii) Amerindians from South Venezuela (Yanomamis from the Orinoco Basin [n 12], a group from a region in which HBV infection is highly endemic; 7.4% prevalence of HBsAg [26, 27]);(iii) hemodialysis patients from units with a high prevalence of HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Caracas (n 24)(19) and in Maracaibo (n 40);(iv) patients with chronic hepatitis from Maracaibo (where HBsAg positivity was determined over a period of at least 6 months and histological evidence of chronic hepatitis was observed upon biopsy [n 19]);(v) hemophiliacs from Maracaibo (n 12);(vi) blood donors from Caracas (n 9), where HBsAg prevalence has been determined as 0.71%(18); and (vii) pregnant women from Puerto La Cruz (0.4% prevalence of HBsAg)(7). The HBsAg subtype was determined on the basis of the reactivity pattern by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) with a panel of five monoclonal antibodies (3C3, 2D11, 3D9, 3A5, and 3E2) as described elsewhere (24). HBV genotypes were determined with DNA fragments amplified by PCR with a reverse-phase hybridization assay with genotype-specific probes (line probe assay [LiPA])(InnoLiPA HBV; Innogenetics SA, Ghent, Belgium). HBV genotypes were determined in the pre-S1 and HBsAg regions. The HBV LiPA genotyping technology (22) is comparable to the test described for HCV genotyping (23). Primers used for the amplification were …

Año de publicación:

1998

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Fuente:

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