The Characteristic of HBV Quasispecies Is Related to Occult HBV Infection of Infants Born to Highly Viremic Mothers.

ABSTRACT: Although a combination of immunoprophylaxis and antiviral therapy can effectively prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV), a considerable number of infants born to highly viremic mothers still develop occult HBV infection (OBI). To uncover the virological factor and risk predictor for OBI in infants, we found that the diversity and complexity of maternal HBV quasispecies in the case group were lower than those in the control group. Mutations with significant differences between the two groups were most enriched in the NTCPbd and PreC regions. Genetic distance at the amino-acid level of the PreC region, especially the combination of three amino-acid mutations in the PreC region, could strongly predict the risk of OBI in infants. HBV quasispecies in OBI infants

SUBMITTER: Li Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11281566 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature