Hepatitis B Virus Genetic Typing Using Mass-Spectrometry

Mini-sequencing with subsequent result registration using MALDI-ToF mass-spectrometry was employed for hepatitis B virus genetic typing in Russian population. This approach was employed for hepatitis B virus genetic typing in HBsAg-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B, hepatitis of combined etiology and hepatic cirrhosis and allowed to show the prevalence of D genotype (83.3%) in all groups of patients. Other hepatitis B virus genotypes: genotype A (5.9%), genotype C (3.6%), and mixed infection with D and C (7.2%) were also found in patients with chronic hepatitis B and hepatic cirrhosis. All genotypes were found in patients with chronic hepatitis B and hepatic cirrhosis. Chronic hepatitis of combined etiology was noted only in patients with genotype D. Possibility of detection of mixed infection with hepatitis B viruses of various genotypes is a distinct advantage of mini-sequencing approach over direct nucleotide sequence evaluation for hepatitis B virus genetic typing.