The first study of the dynamic ratios between wild-type HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative variant populations within the circulating viral quasispecies of HBeAg-positive carriers revealed that precore G1896A HBeAg-minus HBV variants emerged at the time of hepatitis B exacerbations and were followed by the appearance of circulating antibodies against HBeAg (anti-HBe) [20]. The gene discussed is HBE1; the disease is hepatitis B virus infection.