Two subtypes of genotype B (Ba and Bj) of hepatitis B virus in Japan.
We have previously reported 2 subtypes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype B, one of which has the recombination with genotype C over the precore region plus core gene (Ba) and the other of which does not (Bj). A restriction fragment-length polymorphism method with 2 endonucleases was newly developed for distinguishing between subtypes Ba and Bj and was applied to 313 carriers of HBV genotype B in Japan. Subtype Ba was detected in 38 (12%) and subtype Bj in 275 (88%) of the carriers of HBV genotype B. Hepatitis B e antigen in serum was found more frequently in patients with chronic infection with subtype Ba than in those with chronic infection with subtype Bj (8 [32%] of 25 vs. 25 [9%] of 273; P<.01). The new method for distinguishing between Ba and Bj by restriction fragment-length polymorphism would be useful in examining the distribution of these 2 subtypes in situations in which HBV genotype B is prevalent.
Sugauchi
Fuminaka
F
Department of Clinical Molecular Informative Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
Kumada
Hiromitsu
H
Sakugawa
Hiroshi
H
Komatsu
Masafumi
M
Niitsuma
Hirofumi
H
Watanabe
Hisayoshi
H
Akahane
Yoshihiro
Y
Tokita
Hajime
H
Kato
Takanobu
T
Tanaka
Yasuhito
Y
Orito
Etsuro
E
Ueda
Ryuzo
R
Miyakawa
Yuzo
Y
Mizokami
Masashi
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
D000956:Antigens, Viral