Entecavir-resistant hepatitis B virus decreases surface antigenicity: A full genome and functional characterization.
Soree ParkEun-Sook ParkJa Eun KooYong Kwang ParkAh Ram LeeMehrangiz DezhbordEun Sook ChoSung Hyun AhnDoo Hyun KimJeong-Hoon LeeHan Chu LeeKyun-Hwan KimPublished in: Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver (2020)
The ETV resistance mutations can affect the antigenicity of the HBsAg proteins due to changes in the overlapping sequence of this surface antigen. Thus, the apparent decline or disappearance of HBsAg needs to be interpreted cautiously in patients with previous or current antiviral resistance mutations.