INTRODUCTION

The coexistence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti-HBs) in occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) is a contradictory phenomenon, and the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The characteristics of pre-S/S mutations in OBI genotypes B and C (OBI and OBI) in the presence or absence of anti-HBs were analyzed extensively in this study. . The amino acid substitutions of envelope proteins of 21 OBI strains, including 4 HBs (+) OBI, 6 HBs (-) OBI, 6 HBs (+) OBIc, and 5 HBs (-) OBI samples, were analyzed and fully compared among groups of HBV genotypes and the presence of anti-HBs.

RESULTS

The mutation rates in pre-S1, pre-S2, and S proteins of OBI were significantly higher than wild-type HBV (wt-HBV) genotype C strains, but only the mutation rate of S protein in OBI was significantly higher compared to wild-type HBV genotype B. The mutation rates in S protein of anti-HBs (-) OBI were higher than anti-HBs(+) OBI samples (4.40% vs. 2.43% in genotype B, > 0.05; 6.81% vs. 3.47% in genotype C, < 0.05). For these high-frequency substitutions in the pre-S/S region, the mutations sN40S and sK122R were found in 27.3% and 45.5% of anti-HBs (-) OBI strains, respectively. 7 substitutions were uniquely found in OBI strains and 9 substitutions were commonly detected in OBI and OBI strains.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggested that the mutations might occur randomly and were not selected by antibody pressure.