Analysis of the full-length genome of hepatitis B virus in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with acute hepatitis B and transverse myelitis

• Published in: Journal of clinical virology 2008-04, Vol.41 (4), p.301-304
• Main Authors: Inoue, Jun, Ueno, Yoshiyuki, Kogure, Takayuki, Nagasaki, Futoshi, Kimura, Osamu, Obara, Noriyuki, Kido, Osamu, Nakagome, Yu, Kakazu, Eiji, Matsuda, Yasunori, Fukushima, Koji, Segawa, Haruna, Nakajima, Ichiro, Itoyama, Yasuto, Takahashi, Masaharu, Okamoto, Hiroaki, Shimosegawa, Tooru
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute hepatitis B; Allergy and Immunology; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebrospinal fluid; Cerebrospinal Fluid - virology; DNA, Viral - blood; DNA, Viral - cerebrospinal fluid; DNA, Viral - chemistry; DNA, Viral - genetics; Full-length genome; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genome, Viral; Hepatitis B - complications; Hepatitis B - virology; Hepatitis B Core Antigens - genetics; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - blood; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - cerebrospinal fluid; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B virus - genetics; Hepatitis B virus - isolation & purification; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious Disease; Infectious diseases; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Molecular Sequence Data; Myelitis, Transverse - complications; Myelitis, Transverse - virology; Point Mutation; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Radiography; Sequence analysis; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Serum - virology; Spinal Cord - diagnostic imaging; Transverse myelitis; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Virology
• ISSN: 1386-6532; 1873-5967
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2008.01.002

Abstract Although many extrahepatic manifestations have been described in patients with acute or chronic hepatitis B, there are few reports about neurological disorders. We describe a 55-year-old man who contracted acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and transverse myelitis. His neurological findings were gradually reduced along with the recovery from hepatitis. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was revealed to be positive for HBsAg and HBV DNA. Full-length sequences of HBV in his serum and CSF were determined, and it was revealed that these two isolates had mutations at nucleotide (nt) 1762/1764 in the core promoter region and nt 1896 in the precore region. They were identical to each other except for two ambiguous codes at nt 2020 and 2631 in the CSF isolate. After cloning of the amplicons, substitutions at nt 2020 and 2631 were found in 6 (38%) of the 16 CSF clones. One clone of the 6 CSF clones had an additional substitution at nt 2119. These substitutions were not found in 16 serum clones. The presence of HBV clones unique to CSF suggests that HBV was a possible causative agent of the myelitis.