Hepatitis B virus genotypes and subgenotypes in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes and subgenotypes in patients with HBV infection in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey.


METHODS
One hundred and thirty-seven patients' samples collected over 5 years (January 2005 to January 2010) at Farabi Hospital in Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey were included in the study. All patients were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV DNA. The HBV genotypes were determined by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method using an amplified segment of the pre-S region of HBV.


RESULTS
One hundred and twenty-five of the 137 HBV samples (91.3%) were identified as genotype D using the PCR-RFLP method. Twelve isolates had undefined patterns, 122 of the 125 samples (97.6%) were determined as subgenotype D2, 2 (1.6%) were subgenotype D1, and one (0.8%) was subgenotype D-del.


CONCLUSIONS
Similar findings in the other parts of the Turkey, the predominant patterns of HBV prevailing among patients in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey were of genotype D and subgenotype D2.
Department of Medical Microbiology, Karadeniz Technical University, Lojmanlari 29/16 61080, Trabzon, Turkey. nkkaya@yahoo.com
Nese
N
Kaklikkaya
Metin
M
Sancaktar
Rahmet
R
Guner
Celal K
CK
Buruk
Iftihar
I
Koksal
Ilknur
I
Tosun
Faruk
F
Aydin
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D059038:Black Sea; D002648:Child; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens