title: Genotype determination in Moroccan hepatitis B chronic carriers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Morocco, chronic liver disease related to hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a public health burden. Treatment of chronic hepatitis B is often complicated by the appearance of escape mutants after treatment with nucleoside analogs, especially with genotypes responsible for the more severe form of the disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In the present study we investigate the prevalence of the different HBV genotypes in Morocco since no previous careful study has been attempted.
  
  
  METHODS
  Epidemiological data from 91 chronically infected patients (45 women and 46 men) were collected prospectively. Sera were tested for anti-HBc IgG, HBeAg, anti-HBe antibody and liver enzymes. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was confirmed by subsequent sequencing of the pre-S and S region of the viral genome in order to determine which HBV genotypes were prevalent among Moroccan patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age was 41+/-12.4 years. Ten patients (11%) were positive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and 81 (89%) were positive for anti-HBe antibodies. By the RLFP method, genotype D, pattern D2, was found in the 77 cases where HBV was successfully amplified. Phylogenetic analysis based on pre-S/S sequences revealed that genotype D in Morocco differed from others D strains subgenotypes (D1, D2, D3 and D4). In addition, the pre-core mutant defined as HBeAg-negative/anti-HBe-positive and HBV DNA positive was detected in 86% of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results clearly show that genotype D and pre-core mutant are highly prevalent in Morocco.
authors: Institut Pasteur du Maroc 1, Place Louis Pasteur, 20100 Casablanca, Maroc, Morocco.
authors: Sayeh
authors: S
authors: Ezzikouri
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Chemin
authors: Abdelaziz
authors: A
authors: Chafik
authors: Lahsen
authors: L
authors: Wakrim
authors: Jalal
authors: J
authors: Nourlil
authors: Abdelouhad El
authors: AE
authors: Malki
authors: Agnès
authors: A
authors: Marchio
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Dejean
authors: Mohammed
authors: M
authors: Hassar
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Trepo
authors: Pascal
authors: P
authors: Pineau
authors: Soumaya
authors: S
authors: Benjelloun
mesh_terms: D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005814:Genes, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D009018:Morocco; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral