title: A polymerase chain reaction-based assay to identify genotype F of hepatitis B virus.
abstract: We have developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay which distinguishes genotype F from the other genotypes of hepatitis B virus (HBV). The method was used to characterize HBV strains isolated in urban areas of the Brazilian Amazon. DNA was amplified in 54 of a total of 78 HBsAg-positive serum samples, using universal, non-genotype-specific primers. Only 4 (7.4%) were identified as genotype F by our genotype-specific PCR assay. This proportion is notably lower than that previously reported in Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, and Central America.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Virologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Moraes
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Niel
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Gomes
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001938:Brazil; D005784:Gene Amplification; D005838:Genotype; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014505:Urban Population