A 32-year-old woman comes to the emergency department for a 2-week history of right upper quadrant abdominal pain. She has also been feeling tired and nauseous for the past 5 weeks. She has a history of depression and suicidal ideation. She is a social worker for an international charity foundation. She used intravenous illicit drugs in the past but quit 4 months ago. Her only medication is sertraline. Her temperature is 37.8°C (100.0°F), pulse is 100/min, and blood pressure is 128/76 mm Hg. She is alert and oriented. Scleral icterus is present. Abdominal examination shows tenderness to palpation in the right upper quadrant. The liver edge is palpated 3 cm below the right costal margin. There is no rebound tenderness or guarding. The abdomen is nondistended and the fluid wave test is negative. She is able to extend her arms with wrists in full extension and hold them steady without flapping. Laboratory studies show: Which of the following is an essential step in the replication cycle of the virus infecting this patient?

Question

A 32-year-old woman comes to the emergency department for a 2-week history of right upper quadrant abdominal pain. She has also been feeling tired and nauseous for the past 5 weeks. She has a history of depression and suicidal ideation. She is a social worker for an international charity foundation. She used intravenous illicit drugs in the past but quit 4 months ago. Her only medication is sertraline. Her temperature is 37.8°C (100.0°F), pulse is 100/min, and blood pressure is 128/76 mm Hg. She is alert and oriented. Scleral icterus is present. Abdominal examination shows tenderness to palpation in the right upper quadrant. The liver edge is palpated 3 cm below the right costal margin. There is no rebound tenderness or guarding. The abdomen is nondistended and the fluid wave test is negative. She is able to extend her arms with wrists in full extension and hold them steady without flapping. Laboratory studies show:  Which of the following is an essential step in the replication cycle of the virus infecting this patient?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Hepatitis B virus has a partially double-stranded DNA genome and contains a viral DNA polymerase with reverse transcriptase activity.  Reverse transcriptase serves a crucial step in viral replication; it converts transcribed positive sense single-stranded RNA into the partially double-stranded DNA genome of viral progeny.

A 32-Year-Old Woman Comes to the Emergency Department for a 2-Week