Genotyping of Hepatitis B Virus by Multiplex PCR in Sistan and Baluchestan Province

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been classified into 8 genotypes (A - H) according to at least 8% difference in complete nucleotide sequences or more than 4% in S gene. Different genotypes of HBV have important roles in development of certain disorders as: hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, knowing the distribution of HBV genotypes, have considerable impacts on treatment strategies, vaccination program, diagnosis and prevention. Objectives This study aims to determine the prevalence of HBV genotypes in patients infected with the virus in Sistan and Baluchestan province (south-east Iran). Patients and Methods In this descriptive study, 163 patients infected with HBV were selected over the first 6 months (beginning from March 2012 onward). All the patients were HBsAg (hepatitis B surface antigen) and HBeAg (extracellular form of HBcAg) positive along with viral load > 10000 copies/mL. After DNA extraction from the patients’ sera, viral genotypes were determined by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using special primers for each genotype. Results From 163 samples, 154 samples (94.5%) had D genotype which was dominant genotype; and 9 samples (5.5%) had mixed genotype of C/D. Conclusions This study showed that in Sistan and Baluchestan, like other regions of Iran as well as Mediterranean countries, D genotype is dominant genotype. In additional, C/D mixed genotype is also seen less frequently in this province.