Association between severity of type A hepatitis and nucleotide variations in the 5' non-translated region of hepatitis A virus RNA: strains from fulminant hepatitis have fewer nucleotide substitutions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Type A hepatitis is still a considerable problem in both underdeveloped and developed countries. Why some patients progress to fulminant type A hepatitis and others do not is unclear.

Aims

To determine if nucleotide differences in the genome of hepatitis A virus (HAV) are responsible for the range of clinical severities, we analysed the 5' non-translated region (5'NTR) of the HAV genome, which has an internal ribosomal entry site and is important for cap independent translation of the viral message.

Methods

Serum samples from 84 Japanese patients with sporadic type A hepatitis from five distant regions of Japan, comprising 12 patients with fulminant hepatitis (FH), 13 with severe acute hepatitis (AHs), and 59 with acute hepatitis (AH), were examined for HAV

SUBMITTER: Fujiwara K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1773280 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature