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. 2021 Jun 29;13(7):1273.
doi: 10.3390/v13071273.

Detection of Q129H Immune Escape Mutation in Apparently Healthy Hepatitis B Virus Carriers in Southwestern Nigeria

Olufisayo Adeyemi Adesina  1   2 , Olusola Anuoluwapo Akanbi  3 , Oluyinka Oladele Opaleye  4 , Margaret Oluwatoyin Japhet  1 , Bo Wang  3 , Adekemi Olubukunola Oluyege  2 , Patrycja Klink  3 , C-Thomas Bock  3   5
Affiliations

Detection of Q129H Immune Escape Mutation in Apparently Healthy Hepatitis B Virus Carriers in Southwestern Nigeria

Olufisayo Adeyemi Adesina et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

As the global effort to eradicate hepatitis B continues, immune escape mutations (IEMs) and drug resistance mutations (DRMs) affecting its diagnosis, treatment, and prevention are compromising this goal. However, knowledge about the prevalence and circulation of these mutations in Nigeria is scarce. Serum samples (n = 199) from apparently healthy prospective blood donors, pregnant women, and individuals presenting with fever in southwestern Nigeria were analyzed for the presence of IEMs and DRMs by means of nested PCR in the HBV S (HBs) and HBV polymerase (Pol) genes, followed by phylogenetic and mutational analyses. In total, 25.1% (n = 50/199) of samples were positive for HBV, as measured by PCR. In 41 samples (20.6%), both fragments could be amplified, whereas the HBs gene and the Pol gene fragment alone were detected in 0.5% (n = 1/199) and 4% (n = 8/199) of samples, respectively. Sequences were successfully obtained for all 42 HBs gene fragments but for only 31/49 Pol gene fragments (totaling 73 sequences from 44 individuals). All sequences were identified as HBV genotype E. IEMs were present in 18.2% (n = 8/44) of the sequences of HBV-positive individuals with available sequences. IEM Q129H was detected in eight out of the 44 (18.2%) HBV isolates sequenced in this study; however, no DRMs were observed. This study confirms the circulation of HBV IEMs and reports the presence of Q129H IEM for the first time in Nigeria. Intensified research on the dynamics of IEM is necessary in order to enhance the elimination of HBV.

Keywords: Nigeria; PCR; hepatitis; mutation; phylogeny; resistance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Phylogenetic analysis constructed from a 272-bp-long fragment of the HBs gene of HBV using the maximum likelihood method based on the TVM+I+G4 model. All 42 sequences clustered within genotype E. The HBV sequences from this study are indicated in bold characters. The best BLASTn matches are presented in italics. HBV reference genomes of genotypes A–D and F–J are collapsed with the size of the gray circles being proportional to the number of reference sequences. Bootstrap values >75% are indicated.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Phylogenetic analysis inferred using the maximum likelihood method based on the TIMe-+I+G4 model reconstructed from a 1014-bp-long fragment of the partial HBV Pol gene region. All 31 sequences obtained from this study were assessed as genotype E. The HBV sequences from this study are indicated in bold, whereas the best BLASTn matches are indicated in italics. HBV reference genomes of genotypes A–D and F–J are collapsed, with the size of the gray circles being proportional to the number of reference sequences. Bootstrap values >75% are indicated.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Partial HBs and Pol gene sequences obtained from this study aligned with the HBV genotype E reference sequence (Accession number X75657), showing the escape mutation at amino acid 129 of the S gene (sQ129H).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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