title: Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) in Iran: a preliminary report.
abstract: To identify hepatitis delta virus (HDV) genetic variability and its circulating genotypes amongst infected Iranian patients, 25 patients with positive anti-HDV status from different parts of Iran were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. A portion of the HDV delta antigen was amplified, sequenced, and subjected to molecular and phylogenetic analysis. Clinical features and virological markers were evaluated. HDV RNA could be detected in 88% of anti-HDV positive cases (22 patients) with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and liver cirrhosis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all Iranian patients were infected by genotype I (clade 1) of HDV, supported by a high bootstrap value (100%, 1,000 replicates). All HDV-positive patients were coinfected with genotype D1 of HBV. No significant association was determined between demographic, clinical, and virological variables in the population studied. In conclusion, the present molecular epidemiology survey reveals that clade 1 of HDV is predominant among coinfected HBV patients in Iran.
authors.affiliation: The Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Reza
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Mohebbi
authors.forename: Narges
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zali
authors.forename: Faramarz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Derakhshan
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tahami
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mashayekhi
authors.forename: Samad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amini-Bavil-Olyaee
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zali
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005838:Genotype; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications; D003699:Hepatitis D / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D003698:Hepatitis Delta Virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D035923:Hepatitis delta Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D035923:Hepatitis delta Antigens