ArticleMicroorganisms2026
Unveiling the Hidden Reservoir: High Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis B and Associated Surface Gene Mutations in a Healthy Vietnamese Adult Cohort.
Article in Microorganisms, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- High Burden of Occult Hepatitis B Infection in HIV-Infected Patients in Southern Vietnam: Insights from Serological and Molecular Analysis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Genetic Diversity, Occult Hepatitis B, and Mutational Signatures in Migrants from Regions with Varying HBV Endemicity: Importation of Diverse Viral Variants into St. Petersburg, Russia.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Serological and Demographic Correlates of HBV DNA Detection Below the Limit of Quantification in Treated Chronic Hepatitis B and HBsAg-Negative Patients.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Vietnam faces a hyperendemic burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but the prevalence of occult HBV infection (OBI) and its underlying molecular mechanisms in healthy populations remain poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize the serological and molecular HBV profile of a healthy Vietnamese adult cohort in Southern Vietnam. We assessed the prevalence of occult HBV infection (OBI) and HBsAg-positivity (serving as a proxy for probable chronic infection). In this cross-sectional study, 397 healthy adults from Southern Vietnam underwent serological screening for HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc. All participants were screened for HBV DNA using a high-sensitivity PCR assay (LOD ≥ 5 IU/mL). For all viremic cases, the full Pre-S/S region was sequenced to determine genotype and characterize escape mutations. We uncovered a high prevalence of both HBsAg-positivity (17.6%) and OBI (9.3% HBsAg-negative, HBV DNA-positive). Serological analysis revealed a massive, age-dependent reservoir of past exposure (63.7% anti-HBc) characterized by a high and increasing prevalence of the anti-HBc only profile (31.5%), a key serological marker for OBI. This trend contrasted sharply with a steep age-related decline in protective anti-HBs. The viral landscape was dominated by genotypes B (73.8%) and C (26.2%), with sub-genotypes B4 and C1 being the most prevalent. Critically, individuals with OBI carried a significantly higher burden of S gene escape mutations compared to those with HBsAg-positivity (
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