IDENTIFICATION OF PRE-CORE AND BASAL CORE PROMOTER MUTANTS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS B IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
Keywords:
HBV, HBeAg, HBV DNA, RNA, PC, BCP, HCC, WHOAbstract
Recent development of molecular techniques has improved our understanding of the role of various mutations of the HBV genome. Most common are mutations in the precore (PC) and basal core promoter (BCP) region, responsible for more serious course of chronic hepatitis.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of PC and BCP mutants in patients with chronic hepatitis B in the Republic of Macedonia.
Serum samples from 69 patients with chronic hepatitis B (47 males and 22 females, average age 49±20y.) were collected in the period from 2002-2012. All serum samples were tested for HBV, HCV and HDV infection and immediately frozen at -70◦C. According to the HBeAg status, these patients were divided in two groups: HBeAg positive (15/69 pts or 21, 74%), and HBeAg-negative (54/69 pts or 78,26%).
Molecular examination including extraction and amplification of HBV DNA was performed. To establish if HBeAg-negative status is related to sero-conversion, or as a consequence of viral mutations, we have used INNO-Lipa hybridization assay from Innogenetics to identify the presence of mutations in precore and BCP region of HBV DNA. Molecular analysis was done in 38/54 HBeAg-negative patients (28 males and 10 females).
The prevalence of PC mutants in 84,21% (p=0,0000) and BCP mutants in 68,42% (P=0,0033) were extremely high in 38 examined HBeAg-negative patients. Combination of PC and BCP mutants was detected in HBV DNA of 25/38 HBeAg-negative patients (65,78%).
As a conclusion, HBeAg-negative stage was predominant in our patients with chronic hepatitis B and was related to mutations in PC and BCP region
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