Abstract
Objectives: Genotyping of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) strains from patients in Central African Republic and comparison with results obtained in other African countries. Patients and methods: Sera were collected from patients admitted with symptoms of acute or chronic hepatitis to the "Hôpital de l'Amitié de Bangui", Central African Republic (CAR). The complete sequence of preS2/S gene has been defined for determining genotypes. Results: Hundred and ninety-six sera were collected from 112 men and 84 women. Ninety-two percent of patients had contact with HBV (anti-HBc postitive) and the HBsAg prevalence was about 62%. HBV DNA was detected in 66% of HBsAg positive sera. No HBV-DNA was evidenced among patients with negative HBsAg. Ninety-three percent of the HBV strains belonged to genotype E; one (3.4%) belonged to genotype A1, and one (3.4%) belonged to genotype D. Conclusions: The high prevalence of HBV infection in the studied population is due to their recruitment. The genotype E is predominant in CAR and the intragroup variability of HBV genotype E reached only 1.8%. Genotypes A and D were less common in CAR their presence may be explained by importation.
Translated title of the contribution | Characterization of Hepatitis B virus strains from the Central African Republic: Preliminary results |
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Original language | French |
Pages (from-to) | 310-313 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Pathologie Biologie |
Volume | 56 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2008 |
Keywords
- Central African Republic
- Genotype E
- HBV
- preS2/S region