Epidemiologic and virologic characteristics of hepatitis B virus genotype B having the recombination with genotype C.
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.
Sugauchi
Fuminaka
F
Department of Internal Medicine and Molecular Science and Clinical Molecular Informative Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
Orito
Etsuro
E
Ichida
Takafumi
T
Kato
Hideaki
H
Sakugawa
Hiroshi
H
Kakumu
Shinichi
S
Ishida
Takafumi
T
Chutaputti
Anuchit
A
Lai
Ching-Ling
CL
Gish
Robert G
RG
Ueda
Ryuzo
R
Miyakawa
Yuzo
Y
Mizokami
Masashi
M
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
D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens