GENOMIC CHaRaCTERISTICS aND VIRaL EVOLUTION OF HEPaTITIS B VIRUS GENOTYPE B aMONG INDIGENOUS POPULaTIONS LIVING IN THE aRCTIC

摘要

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been grouped into 8 different genotypes, a to H, each having a distinct geographic distribution. Evidence pointing toward the influence of HBV genotypes and subgenotypes on clinical outcome has been steadily accumulating. To date, two distinct subgenotypes of HBV genotype B have been reported; Bj, indigenous in Japan, and Ba, predominant in asian regions outside Japan. Ba is distinguished by a genotype C recombination within the precore/core regions of the genome. The aim of the present study was to investigate the genomic characteristics and evolution of HBV genotype B among indigenous populations living in the arctic.