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Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis D virus in blood donors from Argentina: circulation of HBsAg and reverse transcriptase mutants

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Abstract

In Argentina, current procedures to ensure the safety of the blood supply for transfusion include the serologic detection of specific blood-borne infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and the genetic diversity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) in blood donor populations from two distantly located Argentine regions. Data from 56,983 blood donations from the Favaloro Foundation, in the city of Buenos Aires (Central Region), and the Central Blood Bank of Misiones Province (Northeast Region) were analyzed. Samples that were reactive for HBsAg were analyzed for HBV-DNA characterization and HDV serological and molecular analysis. The HBV prevalence was 0.12 % for HBsAg and 1.68 % for anti-HBc antibodies in Buenos Aires, and 0.73 % and 8.55 %, respectively, in Misiones. Seventy-seven HBsAg-reactive samples were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction for HBV-DNA. Subgenotypes A2, B2, C2, F1b and F4 (Buenos Aires) and F1b and D3 (Misiones) were detected. Several mutations within the major hydrophilic region of HBsAg, the reverse transcriptase, the basal core promoter, and the precore/core were detected. HDV genotype 1 was identified in Buenos Aires. This study confirms the circulation of several HBV subgenotypes, as well as known and newly identified variants, and the presence of HDV1 in this population. A thorough investigation has to be carried out to evaluate the clinical importance of some of the documented mutations as well as those detected in the HDV1 case.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the invaluable assistance provided by Horacio Salamone and Ramón Krupp during manuscript preparation. This work was supported by funds from B.I.D. 1728/OC-AR PICT 2007 01639 (Scientific and Technologic Research Projects), Fundación Florencio Fiorini; UBACyT 20020100101063 and 20020090200189, (University of Buenos Aires), Buenos Aires, Argentina, and CONICET PIP 112-200801-01773 and from Département de Virologie, Unité d’épidémiologie et physiopathologie des virus oncogènes, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Cecilia María Delfino, Gabriela Pataccini, Camila Cánepa, Carolina Berini, María Emilia Eirin & Mirna Marcela Biglione

  2. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica, Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (IMPAM, UBA-CONICET), Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Cecilia María Delfino, Emiliano Alberto Gentile, Amalia Inés Castillo, María Luján Cuestas, José Raúl Oubiña & Verónica Lidia Mathet

  3. Banco de Sangre Central de la Provincia de Misiones, Av. López Torres 1177, CP3300, Posadas, Misiones, Argentina

    Richard Malan & Williams Pedrozo

  4. Sección Medicina Transfusional, Fundación Favaloro, Hospital Universitario, Av. Belgrano 1746, C1093AAS, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jorgelina Blejer

Authors
  1. Cecilia María Delfino
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  2. Emiliano Alberto Gentile
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  3. Amalia Inés Castillo
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  4. María Luján Cuestas
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  5. Gabriela Pataccini
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  6. Camila Cánepa
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  7. Richard Malan
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  8. Jorgelina Blejer
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  9. Carolina Berini
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  10. María Emilia Eirin
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  11. Williams Pedrozo
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  12. José Raúl Oubiña
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  13. Mirna Marcela Biglione
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  14. Verónica Lidia Mathet
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Correspondence to Cecilia María Delfino.

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M. M. Biglione and V. L. Mathet contributed equally.

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Delfino, C.M., Gentile, E.A., Castillo, A.I. et al. Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis D virus in blood donors from Argentina: circulation of HBsAg and reverse transcriptase mutants. Arch Virol 159, 1109–1117 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-013-1917-y

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