Associations between Hepatitis B virus mutations and infection kinetics, host responses and outcomes

Abstract

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) has infected more than 2 billion people worldwide and is associated with a significant global burden of disease due to its main associated complications of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The risk of developing cirrhosis or HCC is highly variable, with some people who have quiescent disease throughout their lifetime, whilst others develop aggressive disease associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. HBV is prone to mutations during viral replication and, as a result, it acquires multiple mutations due to pressures either from exogenous vaccines or therapeutic agents or from the host’s immune system. This propensity to mutate has resulted i..