HBV S Gene Premature Stop Codon in Strains From Middle Eastern Patients

We have previously reported on a premature stop codon in hepatitis B Virus (HBV) S gene among Iranian patients. This mutation may cause undetectable HBV by conventional ELISA methods.. In this study, we aimed to determine the presence of premature stop codon in HBV S gene from Middle Eastern countries with predominant HBV genotype D, subtype ayw2.. Submitted HBV sequences to NCBI genome database from Middle Eastern countries (Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen) were retrieved. The S genes of submitted HBV sequences were analyzed by the Bioedit software to evaluate the genotype and premature stop codon in the S gene.. Premature stop codon in the S gene was observed for all countries with appropriate sequences for analysis. The frequency of mutant strains to total evaluated sequences was 17/711, 1/2, 4/110 and 1/30 for Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Yemen, respectively. In other countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan and UAE), there were no submitted sequences or the submitted sequences were inappropriate for analysis. Moreover, this mutation in the S gene of HBV was derived from 2 blood donors.. Premature stop codon in the S gene was observed in all countries with evaluable HBV genome sequences. Co-existence of detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and S gene premature stop codon was inconsistent with other studies. Investigations on yield truncated HBsAg are suggested to determine if they can affect ELISA HBsAg results..