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A polymerase chain reaction-based assay to identify genotype F of hepatitis B virus
M T Moraes1, C Niel, S A Gomes
1Departamento de Virologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Abstract:
We have developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay which distinguishes genotype F from the other genotypes of hepatitis B virus (HBV). The method was used to characterize HBV strains isolated in urban areas of the Brazilian Amazon. DNA was amplified in 54 of a total of 78 HBsAg-positive serum samples, using universal, non-genotype-specific primers. Only 4 (7.4%) were identified as genotype F by our genotype-specific PCR assay. This proportion is notably lower than that previously reported in Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, and Central America.