HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (4) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by FURUSYO, N. Articles by HAYASHI, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by FURUSYO, N. Articles by HAYASHI, J. Related Collections Pathogenesis Hepatitis

RELATIONSHIP OF GENOTYPE RATHER THAN RACE TO HEPATITIS B VIRUS PATHOGENICITY: A STUDY OF JAPANESE AND SOLOMON ISLANDERS

The aim of this study was to determine the predominant hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype in the Solomon Islands and determine if there is any racial correlation between genotype and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) production in Japanese and Melanesian individuals. A total of 403 serum samples from 206 Melanesian HBV carriers in the Solomon Islands and 197 Japanese carriers from Fukuoka (n = 106) and Okinawa (n = 91) living in Japan in 2001 were tested. The HBV genotypes of 206 Melanesian subjects were 114 with genotype C (55.3%) and 92 with genotype D (44.7%). The HBV genotypes of 197 Japanese subjects were 74 with genotype B (37.6%) and 123 with genotype C (62.4%). The total HBeAg prevalence of subjects in Fukuoka (36.8%) was significantly higher than that of subjects in Okinawa (14.3%) (P < 0.0001) and subjects in the Solomon Islands (35.0%; P = 0.0014, by the Mantel-Haenszel test). The genotype C prevalences were significantly different, ranging from 24.2% in Okinawa, to 54.4% in the Solomon Islands, to 95.3% in Fukuoka (all P < 0.0001, by chi-square test). The prevalence of HBeAg positivity was significantly higher in Melanesian genotype C subjects (42.0%) than Melanesian genotype D subjects (26.6%) (P = 0.0310). Similarly, the prevalence of HBeAg positivity was significantly higher in Japanese genotype C subjects (36.6%) than Japanese genotype B subjects (9.5%) (P < 0.0001). These findings indicate that that HBV was of genotypes C and D in the Solomon Islands, and that the pathogenesis of HBV-infected patients is related to HBV genotype rather than race.

Received June 4, 2003. Accepted for publication October 12, 2003.

Acknowledgments: We thank Sadakazu Usuda and Shunji Mishiro (Department of Medical Sciences, Toshiba General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan) and Ricky Eddie (Pathology Division, Central Hospital, Honiara, Solomon Islands) for their constant interest in and support of this work. We also thank Naoko Kinukawa for providing advice on the statistical assessments.

Authors’ addresses: Norihiro Furusyo and Jun Hayashi, Department of General Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan. Norihiko Kubo, Hisashi Nakashima, and, Kenichiro Kashiwagi, Department of Environmental Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan.

Reprint requests: Norihiro Furusyo, Department of General Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan, Telephone: 81-92-642-5909, Fax: 81-92-642-5916, E-mail: furusyo{at}genmedpr.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp.