Characteristics of the children infected with mutants and amino acid changes in the a determinant of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the four study cohorts
| 1984 | 1989 | 1994 | 1999 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aa, amino acids; HBeAg, hepatitis B e antigen. | ||||
| No of mutant infected children | 8 | 10 | 9 | 3 |
| Sex (M/F) | 4/4 | 8/2 | 4/5 | 2/1 |
| Age (y) (mean (range)) | 6.8 (1.6–10.1) | 6.5 (1.9–12) | 6.3 (0.7–12) | 6.4 (0.2–9.5) |
| No of HBeAg (+)/No of HBeAg (−) | 5/3 | 8/2 | 4/5 | 2/1 |
| No of children fully vaccinated | 1 | 3 | 8 | 3 |
| Total No of amino acid changes | ||||
| First loop (aa 124–137) | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Second loop (aa 139–147) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Changes ×10−2/amino acid | ||||
| First loop | 0.20 | 0.56 | 0.89 | 0.55 |
| Second loop | 0.43 | 1.09 | 2.08 | 1.71 |