GLY145 TO ARG SUBSTITUTION IN HBS-ANTIGEN OF IMMUNE ESCAPE MUTANT OF HEPATITIS-B VIRUS

A Japanese child born to an HBeAg-positive carrier mother received antiHBs immunoglobulins and a plasma-derived HBs vaccine with a poor antiHBs-antibody response. The child, who is now 3 years old, is presently suffering from chronic hepatitis with unusual serological findings that are positive for HBeAg, anti-HBs and HBeAg, since being infected with a measles virus at 12 months of age. The nucleotide sequences of the S region of HBV DNA obtained from the patient, the mother and an HBeAg-positive brother were completely identical except for one nucleotide at position 587 (mother and brother: guanosine, patient: adenosine), giving an amino acid change: Gly -> Arg at position 145 of the major HBs protein. © 1992 Academic Press, Inc.