摘要
Hepatitis B represents a global health threat because its chronic course and sequelae contribute to a high morbidity and mortality. Hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection can be controlled by vaccines, antiviral treatment, and by interrupting transmission. Rare vaccine escape mutants are serious because they eliminate vaccine protection. Here, we present a 74-year-old vaccinated patient with HBV reactivation 11 years after kidney transplantation. The patient was HBV-positive but HBs Ag-negative prior to vaccination 6 years before transplantation. The reactivated virus was HBV genotype F3 with vaccine escape mutations G145 R, P120 Q, and Q129 P. The patient was successfully treated with entecavir. The epidemiological reasons for this subgenotype, which is extremely rare in Western Europe, were unclear. This case illustrates that second-generation vaccines are not always effective in a specific group of patients.
Hepatitis B represents a global health threat because its chronic course and sequelae contribute to a high morbidity and mortality. Hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection can be controlled by vaccines, antiviral treatment, and by interrupting transmission. Rare vaccine escape mutants are serious because they eliminate vaccine protection. Here, we present a 74-year-old vaccinated patient with HBV reactivation 11 years after kidney transplantation. The patient was HBV-positive but HBs Ag-negative prior to vaccination 6 years before transplantation. The reactivated virus was HBV genotype F3 with vaccine escape mutations G145 R, P120 Q, and Q129 P. The patient was successfully treated with entecavir. The epidemiological reasons for this subgenotype, which is extremely rare in Western Europe, were unclear. This case illustrates that second-generation vaccines are not always effective in a specific group of patients.