Diversity of HBV genotypes and their association with precore/basal core mutations among HBsAg-positive patients in Ibadan, Nigeria

  1. Adedayo Omotayo Faneye
  2. Babatunde Olanrewaju Motayo
  3. Aisha Mustafa
  4. Georgina Odiabo

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Abstract

Background. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most implicated cause of severe liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Studies have shown that the basal core protein (BCP) and precore protein (PC) of HBV play a significant role in HBV-related carcinogenesis. There is a paucity of data on the type and effect of BCP and PC mutations in Nigeria. This study aims to genotype HBV and investigate any mutations within the BCP and PC among HBV patients in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods. Forty HBV-DNA-positive patients were recruited into this study, and the viral load assay and genotyping by nested multiplex PCR were done. The partial X gene region was amplified and Sanger sequenced. The BPC and PC genomic regions were then analysed using bioinformatics.

Results. Twenty-three participants recorded HBV DNA viral load of >20 000 IU, while 17 had <20 000 IU and 28 samples were genotyped. Five genotypes (A, B, C, D and E) and four mixed genotypes (AC, AD ACD and ABCD) were detected. Genotype AC was the most frequently encountered, while genotypes E and B were the least encountered. Mutation was highest in ages 34–45 years. Double mutation A1762T and G1764A within the BCP region was the most encountered mutation.

Conclusions. We report a diverse HBV genetic landscape, with mixed infections between genotypes with BCP double-mutation A1762T/G1764A, signalling the likelihood of poor HBV-related liver disease prognosis. Our findings contribute to our understanding of the molecular characteristics of HBV and its potential implications for disease progression and management among HBV-infected Nigerians.

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  1. Version published to 10.1099/acmi.0.000821.v3 on Access Microbiology
  2. Access Microbiology

    Your manuscript is ready to accept. During production, please ensure to address the final minor point from reviewer 1:Only in line 72, does the author need to delete "an envelope protein" after HBeAg, as HBeAg is released into blood during replication of HBV

  3. Access Microbiology

    Comments to Author

    The revised version of the manuscript (ACMI-D-24-00066_R1) entitled "Diversity of HBV genotypes and their association with pre-core/basal core mutations among HBsAg positive patients in Ibadan, Nigeria" by Adedayo Omotayo Faneye, et al. answered my queries point to point and revised the manuscript well. Only in line 72, does the author need to delete "an envelope protein" after HBeAg, as HBeAg is released into blood during replication of HBV.

    Please rate the manuscript for methodological rigour

    Good

    Please rate the quality of the presentation and structure of the manuscript

    Good

    To what extent are the conclusions supported by the data?

    Strongly support

    Do you have any concerns of possible image manipulation, plagiarism or any other unethical practices?

    No

    Is there a potential financial or other conflict of interest between yourself and the author(s)?

    No

    If this manuscript involves human and/or animal work, have the subjects been treated in an ethical manner and the authors complied with the appropriate guidelines?

    Yes

  4. Version published to 10.1099/acmi.0.000821.v2 on Access Microbiology
  5. Access Microbiology

    The reviewers have highlighted minor concerns with the work presented. Please ensure that you address their comments. Please deposit the data underlying the work in the Society’s data repository Figshare account here: https://microbiology.figshare.com/submit. Please also cite this data in the Data Summary of the main manuscript and list it as a unique reference in the References section. When you resubmit your article, the Editorial staff will post this data publicly on Figshare and add the DOI to the Data Summary section where you have cited it. This data will be viewable on the Figshare website with a link to the preprint and vice versa, allowing for greater discovery of your work, and the unique DOI of the data means it can be cited independently. The language used is poor, which can cause ambiguity at times. Please carefully rewrite it. We offer a discounted translation service, Editage (https://www.editage.com/; see https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/prepare-an-article#13 for more information).

  6. Access Microbiology

    Comments to Author

    The authors of the paper "Molecular Characterization of HBV-Infected Nigerians Reveals Diverse Mutational Profiles within the BCP/PC Regions" are presenting an interesting paper about the typing of HBV in Nigeria. I have some observations: 1. The paper needs a better title in my viewpoint. It is necessary to improve the title to better align with the content of the paper. 2. Reviewing grammatical mistakes is necessary. 3. I recommend showing the results in a phylogenetic tree figure.

    Please rate the manuscript for methodological rigour

    Very good

    Please rate the quality of the presentation and structure of the manuscript

    Good

    To what extent are the conclusions supported by the data?

    Strongly support

    Do you have any concerns of possible image manipulation, plagiarism or any other unethical practices?

    No

    Is there a potential financial or other conflict of interest between yourself and the author(s)?

    No

    If this manuscript involves human and/or animal work, have the subjects been treated in an ethical manner and the authors complied with the appropriate guidelines?

    Yes

  7. Access Microbiology

    Comments to Author

    I have gone through the article entitled "Molecular characterization of HBV infected Nigerians reveal diverse mutational profiles within the BCP/PC regions" by Adedayo Omotayo Faneye et al. They conducted their study to genotype HBV and investigate any mutations within the BCP and PC among HBV patients in Ibadan, Nigeria. The information provided in this article, especially in the methodology is concise and difficult to understand. My queries to the authors are the following INTRODUCTION Line 76. HBeAg an envelope antigen? MATERIAL AND METHODS Line 101-106: Add duration of cross-sectional study. What sample was collected from the patient? Line 108: Write the name of the manufacturer and their location. Write in short how the DNA was extracted from clinical specimens. Line 131: What happened to the pre-core/core gene sequence? Did you submit it to GenBank? Line 130: In Bioinformatics analysis: Submit the gene and protein sequence alignment as supplementary figures. For a better understanding of the reader draw a flow chart of the whole methodology. RESULT For PCR in supplementary tables 1 and 2: Add the gene amplified and the length of the amplicon. DISCUSSION If there is any association between the gene mutation and clinical presentation or complication, authors can provide input into their discussion. CONCLUSION Make the conclusion short and write the practical application of your data for understanding the epidemiology of HVB infection. As a whole the manuscript needs professional editing services to improve the quality of writing.

    Please rate the manuscript for methodological rigour

    Poor

    Please rate the quality of the presentation and structure of the manuscript

    Poor

    To what extent are the conclusions supported by the data?

    Partially support

    Do you have any concerns of possible image manipulation, plagiarism or any other unethical practices?

    No

    Is there a potential financial or other conflict of interest between yourself and the author(s)?

    No

    If this manuscript involves human and/or animal work, have the subjects been treated in an ethical manner and the authors complied with the appropriate guidelines?

    Yes

  8. Version published to 10.1099/acmi.0.000821.v1 on Access Microbiology