Molecular Evolutionary Analysis of the Complete Nucleotide Sequence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in a Case of HBV Infection Acquired through a Needlestick Accident

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 1195 - 1201
• Main Authors: Sugauchi, Fuminaka, Mizokami, Masashi, Orito, Etsuro, Ohno, Tomoyoshi, Hayashi, Katsuo, Kato, Takanobu, Tanaka, Yasuhito, Kato, Hideaki, Ueda, Ryuzo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.11.2000; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adult; AS gene; Biological and medical sciences; Disease transmission; DNA; DNA, Viral - chemistry; DNA, Viral - genetics; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Female; Genotypes; Hepatitis antigens; Hepatitis B - blood; Hepatitis B - transmission; Hepatitis B - virology; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - blood; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B virus - genetics; Hepatitis B virus - immunology; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Major Articles; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Molecular Sequence Data; Needlestick injuries; Needlestick Injuries - virology; Nucleotide sequences; Occupational Diseases - virology; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Human; Molecular structure; Nucleotide sequence; Sting; Orthohepadnavirus; Hepatic disease; Contamination; Infection; Virus; Case study; Viral hepatitis B; Donor; Hepadnaviridae; Viral disease; Needle; Digestive diseases; Diagnosis; Hepatitis B virus; Molecular biology
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/317428

To elucidate needlestick transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV), strains isolated from 1 physician who acquired HBV infection through a needlestick accident and 3 patients with chronic hepatitis B (donor patients A, B, and C) were tested using molecular evolutionary analysis based on full-length HBV genomic sequences. Nucleotide sequences of these isolates were aligned with 55 previously reported full-length genomic sequences. Genetic distances were estimated using the 6-parameter method, and phylogenetic trees were constructed using the neighbor-joining method. Strains isolated from patient A and the recipient pair were clustered within a closer range of evolutionary distances than were strains recovered from the recipient pair and patients B and C. Furthermore, strains from patient A and the recipient were also clustered on the S gene sequences of HBV. These results demonstrated that patient A alone was the source of direct transmission to the recipient. This approach can be used to investigate the transmission route of HBV.