Moving towards core antigen for the management of patients with overt and occult HBV infection

Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation upon Immunosuppression: Is There a Role for Hepatitis B Core-Related Antigen in Patients with Immune-Escape Mutants? A Case Report

The reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBVr) in patients undergoing pharmacological immunosuppression is a potentially fatal clinical event that may occur in patients with overt or occult HBV infection. The risk of HBVr is mainly determined by the type of immunosuppressive therapy and the HBV serologic profile, with a higher risk in patients positive for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and a lower risk in HBsAg-negative/antibodies to core antigen-positive subjects. Notably, a considerable proportion of patients experiencing HBVr showed a high degree of variability of the HBV S gene, possibly leading to immune escape mutants. These mutations, usually in the “a-determinant” of the HBsAg, can cause diagnostic problems and consequently hamper the appropriate management strategy of patients at risk of HBVr. Here, we describe a case of HBVr in a patient with a diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia and a previous history of kidney transplant, providing evidence of the potential usefulness of hepatitis B core-related antigen measurement in patients with HBV immune-escape mutants at risk of viral reactivation.

Occult Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and challenges for hepatitis elimination: A literature review

Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is characterized by the detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in serum or liver but negativity for hepatitis B surface antigen. OBI, which is thought to be maintained by host, immunological, viral and/or epigenetic factors, is one of the most challenging clinical features in the study of viral hepatitis. Currently, there is no validated detection test for OBI. It is believed that OBI is widely distributed throughout the world, with a higher prevalence in populations at high-risk HBV, but the detailed worldwide prevalence patterns are unknown. We conducted a survey of recently published studies on OBI rates across all continents. High prevalence rates of OBI are observed in some specific groups, including patients with hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus co-infection or hepatocellular carcinoma. In 2016, the World Health Organization adopted strategies to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030, but the difficulties in detecting and treating OBI currently challenge this goal. Subjects with OBI can transmit HBV, and episodes of reactivation can occur. Further studies to understanding the mechanisms that drive the development of OBI are needed and can contribute to efforts at eliminating viral hepatitis.

Detection of S-HBsAg Mutations in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies

Multiple studies of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genetic variability and its relationship with the disease pathogenesis are currently ongoing, stemming from growing evidence of the clinical significance of HBV mutations. It is becoming increasingly evident that patients with hematologic malignancies may be particularly prone to a higher frequency of such mutations. The present report is the first extensive study of the prevalence of escape mutations in S-HBsAg, performed using isolates from 59 patients from hospital hematology departments with diagnoses of leukemia (n = 32), lymphoma (n = 20), multiple myeloma (n = 3), and non-tumor blood diseases (n = 4). The isolates were serologically examined for the presence of HBV markers and sequenced using either next-generation sequencing (NGS) or Sanger sequencing. Occult hepatitis B was found in 5.1% of cases. Genetic analysis of the region corresponding to S-HBsAg demonstrated an exceptionally high mutation frequency in patients with leukemias (93.4%) and lymphomas (85.0%), along with the prominent mutation heterogeneity. Additionally, more than 15 mutations in one sample were found in patients with leukemias (6.3% of cases) and lymphomas (5.0% of cases). Most of the mutations were clinically significant. The study analyzes the mutation profile of HBV in different oncohematological diseases and the frequency of individual mutations. The data strongly suggest that the NGS method, capable of detecting minor populations of HBV mutations, provides a diagnostic advantage, lays the foundation for the development of screening methods, and allows for the study of the virological and pathogenetic aspects of hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B Core-Related Antigen as Surrogate Biomarker of Intrahepatic Hepatitis B Virus Covalently-Closed-Circular DNA in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B: A Meta-Analysis

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently-closed-circular (ccc)DNA is the key molecule responsible for viral persistence within infected hepatocytes. The evaluation of HBV cccDNA is crucial for the management of patients with chronic HBV infection and for the personalization of treatment. However, the need for liver biopsy is the principal obstacle for the assessment of intrahepatic HBV cccDNA. In the last decade, several studies have investigated the performance of hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) as a surrogate of HBV cccDNA amount in the liver. In this meta-analysis, we collected 14 studies (1271 patients) investigating the correlation between serum HBcrAg and intrahepatic HBV cccDNA. Serum HBcrAg showed a high correlation with intrahepatic HBV cccDNA (r = 0.641, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.510–0.743, p < 0.001). In a head-to-head comparison, we observed that the performance of HBcrAg was significantly superior to that of hepatitis B surface antigen (r = 0.665 vs. r = 0.475, respectively, p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that the correlation between HBcrAg and intrahepatic HBV cccDNA was high, both in hepatitis B e antigen-positive and -negative patients (r = 0.678, 95% CI 0.403–0.840, p < 0.001, and r = 0.578, 95% CI 0.344–0.744, p < 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, the measurement of serum HBcrAg qualifies as a reliable non-invasive surrogate for the assessment of an intrahepatic HBV cccDNA reservoir.