Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a severe and common virus that has infected ‘more than two billion people alive today at some point in their life.’1 It is a hepadanavirus that interferes with the liver functions as it replicates in the hepatocytes (liver cells) and induces a immune response that is responsible for the inflammation of liver.2 Viruses are not motile, which means that HBV is also sessile and does not form spores. The spherical virion, is called a Dane Particle3 that is 42nm in diameter binds to the surface of hepatocyte.1 The virion itself contains an inner protein core, 27nm thick filled with circular partially double stranded DNA, DNA polymerase and reverse transcriptase.1 It is an enveloped virus, so it also holds an outer lipoprotein envelope4 that is 7nm thick and is comprised of many embedded surface proteins such as surface antigen for viral binding and entry.1 HBV has an average incubation period of three months, which means that it does not start showing symptoms for the first three months that the person is infected and that person can unknowingly infect others.2 ...
Hepatitis A is a usually short acting virus that occurs in humans and monkeys. It is caused by the Hepatovirus and the species is Hepatitis A Virus. There are two major ways in which Hepatitis A can be transmitted. One way is from person to person. This transmission occurs when the fecal matter of an infected person gets ingested by another person. Other ways Hepatitis A can be transmitted from person to person are through direct contact with an infected person, such as sexual contact, and sharing of needles for intravenous drug use. Hepatitis A can also be transmitted through coming in contact with contaminated food or water. Also foods that are uncooked or undercooked and have been contaminated with Hepatitis A can transmit the virus. (Bennett,
The Hepatitis B virus is a disease that affects the liver and results in swelling and loss of normal function in the liver. It is estimated that 350 million people are infected with Hepatitis B worldwide, with 50 million new cases diagnosed every year.(1) In the Unit...
Hepatitis B virus infection is caused by a DNA virus belonging to the hepadnaviridae family of viruses. Approximately 2.2 million people in the United States of America are infected with Hepatitis B virus. Many of these patients, though they appear healthy, continue to spread the virus to others. Hepatitis B virus infection can be transmitted in the following ways: contact with contaminated blood (shared needles), sexual contact, and from mother to child. Unlike Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B is not spread through food, water, or causal contact. 95% of adults who get Hepatitis B can clear the virus through their system. However the remainder of the adults go on to develop chronic hepatitis B infection. This can
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a virus that attacks the liver. The virus is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids. This can occur through direct blood-to-blood contact, unprotected sex, use of contaminated needles, and from an effected mother to her newborn during the delivery process. The majority of people do not have noticeable symptoms when they are first infected with the HBV. People who do not know they are infected with the HBV, their body can respond in different ways. I learned that some of the common symptoms of Hepatitis B infection include fever, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, loss of appetite, mild nausea, vomiting, and dark-colored urine. Some of the serious symptoms that require immediate medical attention and maybe even hospitalization are: severe nausea and vomiting, yellow eyes and skin (jaundice), bloated or swollen stomach.
The virus is primarily spherical shaped and roughly 200nm in size, surrounded by a host-cell derived membrane. Its genome is minus-sense single-stranded RNA 16-18 kb in length. It contains matrix protein inside the envelope, hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, fusion protein, nucleocapsid protein, and L and P proteins to form the RNA polymerase. The host-cell receptors on the outside are hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. The virus is allowed to enter the cell when the hemagglutinin/ neuraminidase glycoproteins fuse with the sialic acid on the surface of the host cell, and the capsid enters the cytoplasm. The infected cells express the fusion protein from the virus, and this links the host cells together to create syncitia.
Hepatitis is the inflammation or swelling of the liver. The inflammation can happen from different injuries or viral forms of a disease. People who experience hepatitis have the symptoms of malaise, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fever and jaundice. There are six known forms of Hepatitis which are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, Hepatitis E and Hepatitis G. The presence of hepatitis in the body can be very risky and cause severe death if not taken care of. Hepatitis is a severe issue that affect many people around the world like third world countries and cross contamination can occur mainly in health care places due to the exposure of patients with the disease and accidents handling blood or instruments, Hepatitis A,B,C,D,E and G are distinct diseases that differ in transmission and vaccines to prevent them or cure them.
Pathogens are a type of microorganism that spreads viral and bacterial diseases. These diseases when present in human blood and body fluids are known as blood borne pathogens, and can spread from one person to another. (Worcester polytechnic institute) The most serious types of blood borne diseases are the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can cause liver damage; and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), which is responsible for causing AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The blood borne pathogens can be spread when the blood or body fluids (semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, and amniotic fluid) of an infected individual comes into contact with mucous membranes or an open sore or cut on the skin of another person. Mucus membranes are located in the eyes, nose, mouth, and other areas as well. ("Bloodborne pathogens: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia") Two of the most common ways that pathogens are transmitted is through the exchange of fluids during sexual intercourse or by sharing infected IV needles. (Worcester polytechnic institute)
There are four phases of Hepatitis B: infection, inflammation, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. In the first phase, HBV invades the liver and goes for the nucleus, where it releases contents of DNA and polymerase into the surroundings. It then maneuvers its way to the cell’s components and enzymes. The polymerase sways the liver cells to make segments of the HBV DNA from RNA. The virus makes liver cells create spare parts for other HBV viruses. Replicas are released from liver cell into the bloodstream, destroying host cell and infecting other healthy liver cells. This entire process can take a few hours to occur, but must continue multiple times for serious damage to occur. The second phase is inflammation. Inflammation is caused by lymphocytes trying to get rid of the virus, but they also release harmful chemicals that damage the cells and take part in damaging the liver. The third phase is fibrosis. Fibrosis is scar tissue caused by inflammation and chronic infection. According to Everson and Weinburg, (2002, pg. 64) “Only 5/10% of people develop chronic Hepatitis B from acute Hepa...
Acute HBV infection is the most common type of infection in low endemic countries. The incubation period, from transmission to clearness, ranges from 40-180 days. The infection is either symptomatic or asymptomatic/ fulminant hepatitis. Children under the age of 5 years rarely experience symptomatic infection (10%), where’s about 30-40% infected adults and children above age 5 experience a symptomatic infection with yellowing of skin and teeth, vomiting, fatigue, laxity and abdominal pain [1].
Hepatitis C is a global burden that gives rise to serious liver complications. Thus, it is very crucial to eradicate this disease. Since there is no vaccine, drugs combinations become important elements in treating hepatitis C globally. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is previously dealt with using combinations of drugs such as pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RVB). These drugs are dependent on several factors such as HCV genotype, treatment duration, past treatment, side effects and the patient condition. In 2013, a promising antiviral drug, sofosbuvir, brings hope to the eradication of all genotypes of HCV. This bibliography would evaluate the effectiveness and safety of sofosbuvir in treating chronic hepatitis C either in combination with other drugs or alone. In addition to that, this bibliography and the following literature review will highlight the impact of sofosbuvir in the global eradication of hepatitis C. Add citation
“This knowledge will help us design drugs that mimic the viral effects on these proteins to either activate a host’s immune response or shut it down,” said Dr. Michael Gale, associate ...
Hepatitis B, an infectious disease caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV, a DNA virus), was formerly called serum hepatitis, inoculation hepatitis and post-transfusion hepatitis. Infection with HBV may result in acute, fulminant or chronic hepatitis, sometimes even resulting in a chronic asymptomatic carrier state, apart from hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis (Davis 179). The disease is transmitted when an individual comes in contact with infected blood or objects. It may also be transferred from an infected mother to her infant either during or after birth (Zuckerman et al. 211). Transmission may also occur by accidental inoculation from infected needles and hospital equipment, intravenous drug abuse, body piercing, tattooing, and mouth-mouth kissing (Zuckerman et al. 210). The risk of Hepatitis B is particularly high in individuals with multiple sex partners, and in homosexuals. The HBV virus occurs in morphologically different forms in the serum of infected individuals. HBV infection has an incubation period of about 75 days. Systemic symptoms of the disease include fatigue, fever, dyspepsia, arthralgia, malaise, and rash, while local symptoms include hepatomegaly, jaundice, dark urine, and pale stools (Davis 179; Zuckerman et al. 210).
In the laboratory, Hausen was fascinated by the Epstein-Barr virus, but he was not well acquainted with developing molecular biological methods. This guided him to study adenovirus type 12 (McIntyre, P. 2005). Studying this helped him show that Epstein-Barr virus particles were in single serologically antigen-positive Burkitt’s lymphoma cells. During his time there it was concluded the Epstein-Barr virus was a factor that causes infectious mononucleosis. Once Hausen transferred to the Institute for Virology at the University, he decided to concentrate his research on Epstein-Barr virus.
Prevention of this virus would have been simple. There is a vaccine for Hepatitis B,however it wasn't used routinely until the 1980's , so many of these elderly may not have received it. In addition to this, there are ways to avoid transmission of Hepatitis B in this fashion (assisted monitoring of blood glucose). The personnel could have simply followed the rules and regulations set forth by the CDC for preventing transmission of blood-born pathogens. Outbreaks like this are less likely to occur in places like nursing homes because they are subject to federal regulations where these assisted living facilities are not. Federal regulation may help to prevent outbreaks like this also. Proper training of personnel in the area of blood-born pathogen transmission should be a requirement.
The DENV envelope protein E, which is found on the virus surface, has a role as a mediating factor in the initial attachment of the virus to the host cell. Further, several cellular proteins and carbohydrate molecules that act as attachment factors interacting with the viral envelope protein E have been identified. These factors allow the virus population to concentrate on the cell surface thus increasing their chance of access to their target cellular receptor(s). Some of these known molecules that interact with the vi...