Rate of YMDD motif mutants in lamivudine-untreated Iranian patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

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• 作者：Amitis Ramezani ; Ali Akbar Velayati ; Mohammad Reza Hasanjani Roshan ; Latif Gachkar ; Mohammad Banifazl ; Hossein Keyvani ; Arezoo Aghakhani
• 关键词：Chronic hepatitis B ; Lamivudine ; PCR-RFLP ; YMDD motif mutants
• 刊名：International Journal of Infectious Diseases
• 出版年：2008
• 出版时间：May 2008
• 年：2008
• 卷：12
• 期：3
• 页码：252-255
• 全文大小：138 K

文摘

Summary

Background

Lamivudine is used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B patients. Recent studies show that the YMDD motif mutants (resistant hepatitis B virus) occur as natural genome variability in lamivudine-untreated chronic hepatitis B patients. In this study we aimed to determine the rate of YMDD motif mutants in lamivudine-untreated chronic hepatitis B patients in Iran.

Patients and methods

A total of 77 chronic hepatitis B patients who had not been treated with lamivudine were included in the study. Serum samples from patients were tested by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) for detection of YMDD motif mutants. All patients were also tested for liver enzymes, anti-HCV, HBeAg, and anti-HBe.

Results

Of the 77 patients enrolled in the study, 73 % were male and 27 % were female. Mean ALT and AST levels were 124.4 ± 73.4 and 103.1 ± 81 IU/l, respectively. HBeAg was positive in 40 % and anti-HBe in 60 % of the patients. Anti-HCV was negative in all of them. YMDD motif mutants were not detected in any of the patients despite the liver enzyme levels and the presence of HBeAg or anti-HBe.

Conclusion

Although the natural occurrence of YMDD motif mutants in lamivudine-untreated patients with chronic hepatitis B has been reported, these mutants were not detected in Iranian lamivudine-untreated chronic hepatitis B patients.