Rapid identification of multi-strain HBV infection in patient by high-throughput DNA sequencing

Hepatitis B is a well-known risk factor for the development of liver cancer and is closely associated with patient morbidity and mortality. Viral mutants and variants have the potential to evade immune response and prolong infection, and thus it is crucial to develop a methodology for the rapid identification of multi-strain hepatitis infections in patients. Here we describe a method based on selective region amplification of viral genome and deep sequencing, which may be used for rapid identification of multi-strain hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients. The method works even with significantly low amounts of patients’ serum samples, where the wet-lab procedures take about 1.5 days, followed by a quick bioinformatic analysis to reveal the final results. Our method can potentially be applied to the rapid and reliable identification of multi-strain HBV infection and help improve treatment regiments.