Correlation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes and mutations in basal core promoter/precore with clinical features of chronic HBV infection.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes and basal core promoter (BCP) and precore (PC) mutations in patients with chronic hepatitis B.


METHODS
HBV genotyping, nucleotide mutation, serum HBV DNA level and serological markers were analyzed in 121 patients with chronic HBV infection using INNO-LiPA HBV genotyping, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product-based sequencing, fluorescence quantitative PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays respectively.


RESULTS
Forty (33.0%), 77 (63.6%), two (1.7%) and two (1.7%) patients had genotypes B, C, B/C and D infections respectively. Significant differences were found in serum HBV DNA levels (log10 copies/ml: 6.18 vs. 5.61, P=0.042) and mutations at nucleotide (nt) 1762/1764 (71.4% vs. 42.5%, P=0.002) between genotypes C- and B-infected patients. There were significant differences in the mean age, serum biochemical parameter levels and mutation rates in BCP/PC among hepatitis e antigen (HBeAg)-positive and -negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and liver cirrhosis (LC) groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Genotypes C and B are predominant in China, and the frequent nt 1762/1764 mutation, which occurs commonly in HBeAg-negative CHB, especially in genotype C patients, may be associated with the progress of chronic HBV infection.
Du
Heng
H
Department of Microbiology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Li
Tong
T
Zhang
Hua-Yuan
HY
He
Zhong-Ping
ZP
Dong
Qing-Ming
QM
Duan
Xue-Zhang
XZ
Zhuang
Hui
H
D000328:Adult; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009154:Mutation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
D004279:DNA, Viral