HEPATITIS B VIRUS AND HEPATITIS D VIRUS AMONG BLOOD DONORS FROM ARGENTINA: CIRCULATION OF HBSAG AND REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE MUTANTS

CECILIA MARÍA DELFINO; EMILIANO GENTILE; AMALÍA CASTILLO; MARÍA L CUESTAS; GABRIELA PATACCINI; CAMILA CÁPENA; RICHARD MALÁN; JORGELINA BLEJER; CAROLINA BERINI; MARÍA EMILIA EIRIN; WILIAMS PEDROZO; JOSÉ R. OUBIÑA; MIRNA BIGLIONE; VERÓNICA L MATHET

ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY

SPRINGER WIEN

Lugar: Viena; Año: 2014 p. 1109 - 1117

0304-8608

In Argentina, current procedures to ensure 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)  among blood donor populations from  two  distantly  located  Argentine  regions.   Data  from  56,983  blood  donations  were  analyzed  from Favaloro Foundation of Buenos Aires city (Central region) and from the Central Blood Bank of Misiones province (Northeast region). Samples 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 from Buenos Aires, and 0.73% and 8.55% from Misiones, respectively. 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 recorded. Several mutants 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 research 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.