title: [Distribution and clinical significance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes and subtypes in HBV-infected patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype and subtype distribution and its clinical significance in HBV-infected patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Ya-juan
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qing-ming
authors.initials: QM
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Ya-jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jun-qi
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Wei-min
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Bao-an
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jin-qun
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D005838:Genotype; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000821:virology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction