title: Epidemiologic and virologic characteristics of hepatitis B virus genotype B having the recombination with genotype C.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatitis B virus (HBV) isolates of genotype B (HBV/B) with or without the recombination with genotype C over the precore region plus core gene have been reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  All the 41 HBV/B isolates having the recombination with genotype C (HBV/Ba) possessed the nucleotide 1838 of A in contrast to that of G in all 29 of those without the recombination (HBV/Bj). Taking advantage of this single nucleotide polymorphism, a restriction fragment length polymorphism method was developed that distinguished HBV/Ba from HBV/Bj.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HBV/Bj was detected in 90 of the 97 (93%) carriers of HBV/B from Japan, whereas HBV/Ba occurred in all 177 carriers of HBV/B from other countries (China, 20; Hong Kong, 45; Taiwan, 32; Thailand, 30; Vietnam, 30; and the United States, 20 [all of an Asian ethnicity]). In a case-control study, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and the double mutation in the core promoter (T1762/A1764) were significantly more frequent in 80 carriers each of HBV/Ba than HBV/Bj (35% vs. 18%, P < 0.05 and 33% vs. 15%, P < 0.05, respectively). Differences in the prevalence of HBeAg were more conspicuous between the carriers of HBV/Bj and HBV/Ba older than 30 years (5 of 66 or 8% vs. 16 of 62 or 26%, P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HBV/B having the recombination with genotype C is frequent in Asia, except in Japan, and HBeAg is more prevalent in carriers of HBV/Ba than HBV/Bj.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Molecular Science and Clinical Molecular Informative Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Fuminaka
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sugauchi
authors.forename: Etsuro
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Orito
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ichida
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakugawa
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kakumu
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Anuchit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chutaputti
authors.forename: Ching-Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Gish
authors.forename: Ryuzo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Yuzo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizokami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D015995:Prevalence; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens