Distribution of hepatitis B virus genotypes in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection among 12 cities in China / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the distribution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in patients with chronic HBV infection among 11 cities of China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 1214 serum samples from patients with chronic HBV infection were collected in 11 cities of China, including Beijing, Qingyuan, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Hanchuan, Nanjing, Changchun, Liaocheng, Jinan, Ningbo and Wenzhou. Genotypes of the 1214 HBV strains were identified by PCR method with type specific primers. Parts of the results were confirmed by direct sequencing analysis of PCR products.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 1214 patients with chronic HBV infection, 0.7% (9/1214)were genotype A, 28.4% (345/1214)genotype B, 58.4% (709/1214) genotype C, and 12.4% (151/1214) genotype B and genotype C mixed infection. No other genotypes were found. Genotype C was predominant in the northern part of China, such as Changchun, Beijing, Shijiazhuang,while genotype B was more commonly seen in south of China. 71.4% (20/28) for patients from Qingyuan and 63.6% (70/110) from Shenzhen were infected with genotype B.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HBV genotypes had distinct geographic distribution. Genotype B and C the predominant strains in patients with chronic HBV infection in China. Genotype C was predominantly identified in the northern part of China versus genotype B the south.</p>

Distribution and clinical significance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes and subtypes in HBV-infected patients / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype and subtype distribution and its clinical significance in HBV-infected patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We used type/subtype-specific primers and PCR to detect HBV genotype and subtype of 445 HBV-infected patients from Beijing, Changchun, Hanchuan Shenzhen, Qingyuan and Nanjing, including 7 acute hepatitis (AH), 36 asymptomatic HBV carriers (ASC), 352 chronic hepatitis (CH), 28 liver cirrhosis (LC), and 22 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases. Genotyping results were confirmed by PCR product sequencing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among 445 HBV-infected patients, the proportions of genotype B, C, and B/C were 32.6% (145/445), 53.7% (239/445), and 13.7% (61/445), respectively. In genotype C, 13 (5.4%) were subtype C1, 135 (56.5%) were subtype C2, and the remaining 91 (38.1%) were neither C1 nor C2. In genotype B, 100 (69.0%) were subtype Ba, 25 (17.2%) subtype Bj, and the other 20 (13.8%) were neither Ba nor Bj. In genotype B/C, 15 (24.6%) were Ba/C2, 8 (13.1%) Bj/C2, 6 (9.8%) Ba/C1, 3 (4.9%) Bj/C1, 11 (18.0%) Ba/neither C1 nor C2, 7 (11.5%) Bj/neither C1 nor C2, and 6 (9.8%) neither Ba nor Bj/neither C1 nor C2, 2 (3.3%) neither Ba nor Bj/C1, 3 (4.9%) neither Ba nor Bj/C2. The HBV genotype and subtype distribution we found exhibited significant differences in the various clinical types of HBV infection tested, and showed that genotype C was predominant among patients with liver cirrhosis (78.6%) and hepatocellular carcinoma (86.4%) while genotype B was predominant in asymptomatic carriers (72.2%). In addition, genotype and subtype distribution showed no significant differences between male and female patients, but genotype and subtype distribution showed significant differences in patients positive or negative with HBeAg.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Subtypes Ba and C2 are predominant in patients with hepatitis B from these 6 cities, and genotype C may be associated with the development of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.</p>