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Hepatitis B Virus
Research from J. Sheldon and colleagues has provided new data on hepatitis B virus
May 14th, 2008
According to a study from Madrid, Spain, "The hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase and envelope genes overlap in such a way that resistance mutations to antiviral agents in the reverse transcriptase gene may affect the antigenicity of the HBV surface antigen." "Mutant viruses may escape serological diagnosis using specific anti-HBV surface antigen antibodies, causing occult forms of chronic hepatitis B. Moreover, these HBV strains may evade vaccine protection, representing a public health challenge," wrote J. Sheldon and colleagues. The researchers concluded: "Thus, the circulation of HBVs encoding envelope mutations selected by antiviral agents...
Source: Vaccine Weekly (2008-05-14)
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