Transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E in a misleading context of autoimmunity and drug-induced toxicity.

Hepatitis E is currently diagnosed after all other causes of hepatitis have been excluded. Moreover, HEV testing is not performed to prevent blood transmission in developed countries. We report here on the case of a patient with acute hepatitis while receiving potentially hepatotoxic medications for autoimmune disorders, with low-level autoimmune markers and negative "standard" viral markers; it was finally determined that he was suffering from transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E.

Viral and clinical factors associated with surface gene variants among hepatitis B virus carriers.

Background: Understanding the prevalence of potential antigenic variation of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) is fundamental for assay design and to future changes in vaccine formulation. In this study, the nature and frequency of HBsAg polymorphisms occurring in France in chronic carriers and in newly diagnosed patients were determined. We focused on variations in the major hydrophilic region (MHR), the central core of HBsAg known to be exposed on the surface and involved in antibody binding.

Sensitivities of four new commercial hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) assays in detection of HBsAg mutant forms.

Mutations in hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) involving amino acid substitution within the immunodominant "a" determinant may affect the performance of commercial HBsAg assays. The performances of four HBsAg assays that recently received Conformité Européene marking, Advia Centaur HBsAg (Bayer), Monolisa HBsAg Ultra (Bio-Rad), Liaison HBsAg (Dia Sorin), and Vidas HBsAg Ultra (bioMérieux), were compared with that of the routinely used HBsAg assay AxSYM HBsAg V2 (Abbott). Assays were evaluated for (i) analytical sensitivity performance with a national reference HBsAg panel (including 10 samples with calibrated HBsAg concentrations from 0.

Monitoring the emergence of hepatitis B virus polymerase gene variants during lamivudine therapy in human immunodeficiency virus coinfected patients: performance of CLIP sequencing and line probe assay.

Sera from 12 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus (HBV), on lamivudine as part of an antiretroviral therapy, were retrospectively analysed for the presence of HBV polymerase mutations by the line probe assay, INNO-LiPA HBV DR, and by the direct sequencing assay, TRUGENE HBV genotyping kit. Results at codons 180, 204 and 207 were compared for 44 samples. Full concordance was observed for 81.