Circulating Pregenomic Hepatitis B Virus RNA Is Primarily Full-length in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Undergoing Nucleos(t)ide Analogue Therapy
Mark Anderson, Jeffery Gersch, Ka‐Cheung Luk, George J. Dawson, Ivana Carey, Kosh Agarwal, Pir Ahmad Shah, Geoffrey Dusheiko, Daryl Lau, Gavin Cloherty
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus RNA is detectable in the serum of infected patients; however, the RNA species has been questioned. We tested 1827 specimens using a quantitative dual-target quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay and determined that full-length pregenomic RNA is the primary source. These results clarify the major identity of circulating HBV RNA species.
Topics & Concepts
RNAVirologyHepatitis B virusChronic hepatitisHepatitis B virus DNA polymeraseVirusReal-time polymerase chain reactionMolecular biologyHepatitis B virus PRE betaHepatitis BMedicineBiologyGeneGeneticsHepatitis B Virus StudiesHepatitis C virus researchLiver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment