In order to assess the prevalence of precore HBV mutants which frequently have been found in a significant proportion of HBeAg negative patients with chronic liver disease B, we amplified the partial segment of HBV DNA containing the entire
precore
region by PCR and hybridized the amplified products with three oligonucleotide (18-mer) probes, complementary to non-mutated, one (1896, G to A) or two (1896 and 1899 G to A) point mutated distal precore sequences respectively in 39 patients (25
HBeAg
negative and 14 HBeAg positive cases). Direct sequencing of nucleic acids using PCR products was done in patients showing hybridization signal by probes complementary to mutated precore sequences.
@ES The results were as follows;
@EN 1. HBV DNA was detected in 12 (48%) of 25 patients negative for HBeAg and 6(50%) of these 12 showed precore HBV mutants. In 14 patients positive for HBeAg, HBV DNA was detected in 11 (78.6%) and only one (9%) of them was precore HBVC mutant.
2) In 25 HBeAg negative patients, 14 patients showed abnormal LFT. HBV DNA was detected in 9(64.3%) and 6(66.7%) of these 9 were precore HBV mutants. However, HBV DNA was detected only 3 (27.3%) of 11 patients with normal LFT and all were wild
type
HBV.
3) All of 6 patients with precore HBV mutants had 1896 G to A one point mutation but only 2 of them had two point mutation as the mixed form.
In conclusion, precore HBV mutants were detected in a significant proportion of HBeAg negative patients with chronic liver disease B, especially in those who had abnormal LFT. These results may suggest that viral heterogeneity affect the severity
of
chronic liver disease B.
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