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Epidemiological and virological characteristics of 2 subgroups of hepatitis B virus genotype C

Henry L Y Chan1, Stephen K W Tsui, Chi-Hang Tse

  • 1Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China. hlychan@cuhk.edu.hk

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|May 18, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C in Hong Kong divides into two subgroups, Cs and Ce, with distinct Asian origins and differing mutation patterns. These findings aid in understanding HBV evolution and transmission dynamics.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Hepatology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C is prevalent globally.
  • Understanding HBV genotype C subgroups is crucial for effective management and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the characteristics of HBV genotype C subgroups in Hong Kong.
  • To determine the relationship between Hong Kong HBV genotype C and strains from other Asian regions.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analysis of full-genome nucleotide sequences from 49 HBV genotype C isolates from Hong Kong patients.
  • Comparison with 69 HBV genotype C and 12 non-genotype C isolates from the GenBank database.
  • Subgroup definition based on >4% heterogeneity of the entire HBV genome.

Main Results:

  • Two distinct HBV genotype C subgroups were identified in Hong Kong: Cs (80% of cases) and Ce (20% of cases).
  • HBV genotype Cs is predominantly found in Southeast Asia, while genotype Ce is prevalent in the Far East.
  • HBV genotype Cs showed a higher prevalence of basal core promoter mutations and C at nucleotide 1858, and a lower prevalence of precore stop codon mutations compared to genotype Ce.

Conclusions:

  • HBV genotype C can be classified into two distinct subgroups, genotype Ce and genotype Cs.
  • These subgroups exhibit different epidemiological distributions and virological characteristics.
  • This differentiation provides insights into HBV's genetic diversity and regional variations.
Abstract

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