A 59-year-old man developed acute hepatitis with reactivated hepatitis B virus (HBV) following administration of rituximab

The major hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in Japan are B and C. HBV genotype D (HBV/D), however, is widespread in a small area of Western Japan, where the Gianotti-Crosti syndrome caused by HBV subtype ayw, which is suspected to be HBV/D, was endemic in the 1970s. The aim of the study was to elucidate its origin, time of transmission, and spread in this area. Genotyping of HBV-DNA was done in 363 patients with HBV infection. The year of birth was checked in patients with HBV/D. The full genome sequences of 20 HBV/D strains, 2 of which were obtained from a single carrier with a 19-yearinterval, were analyzed. An evolutionary rate, the date of the most recent common ancestor, and the effective number of HBV/D infections were calculated. Fifty-two of 363 patients were infected with HBV/D, and 39 were born in 1970s. In a phylogenetic tree, the 20 HBV/D strains produced a definite cluster, and the evolutionary rate was calculated to be 5.4 Â 10 À5 nucleotide substitutions/site/year. The root of the tree was estimated to be in approximately 1,900 and began to spread from the 1940s, leading to a rapid increase of infected patients in the 1970s. From these results, it is suspected that HBV/D was likely transmitted to the area investigated approximately 100 years ago and then spread widely in the 1970s. From the history of the area and the genetic analysis, HBV/ D in this area was speculated to be of Russian origin.

These data indicate that v-PBC is a hypercarcinogenic state and constitutes a new subgroup of PBC.

HBV/D has not yet spread widely to areas other than central Ehime, although small numbers of infected people have moved to other areas. The major infectious route for patients with AH is sexual transmission, regardless of HBV genotype.

A boy in his early teens visited our hospital with chief complaints of hematemesis and tarry stools. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy identified a hemorrhagic duodenal ulcer, for which hemostasis was performed using a clip. Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) administration diminished the ulcer but relapse occurred after PPI discontinuation. The esophagus showed concentric rings and longitudinal linear furrows considered to be characteristic of eosinophilic esophagitis. Biopsies of the duodenal ulcer and the esophagus revealed marked infiltration of eosinophils, leading to a diagnosis of eosinophilic gastroenteritis with esophageal involvement. Steroid treatment was initiated, and the duodenal ulcer and esophagitis resolved. Endoscopic findings characteristic of eosinophilic esophagitis were key to the diagnosis of eosinophilic gastroenteritis.