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Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology logoLink to Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology
. 2012 Jul 21;2(2):174–180. doi: 10.1016/S0973-6883(12)60105-4

Hepatitis B Virus Genotyping: Is the Time Ripe for Routine Clinical Use?

Kaushal Madan *,*, Pankaj Tyagi **
PMCID: PMC3940128  PMID: 25755425

Abstract

Hepatitis B is one of the major causes of end-stage liver disease and liver cancer worldwide. A number of host and viral factors influence the disease course and outcomes. One such viral factor is hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes. There are eight major HBV genotypes described from various geographic regions of the world. Although direct sequencing appears to be the gold standard for HBV genotyping, it is expensive and laborintensive and therefore cannot be applied for routine clinical use. The newer molecular methods including serotyping have made genotyping easier and simple to apply to large number of samples rapidly. The data collected mainly over the last decade have suggested that HBV genotypes may have a bearing over the natural course of the disease and its response to therapy. This review summarizes the available literature and highlights how genotyping could be incorporated into routine clinical practice in order to improve delivery of care to HBV-infected individuals.

Keywords: Diagnosis, genotype, hepatitis B, natural history

Abbreviations: CHB, chronic hepatitis B; CLD, chronic liver diseases; DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid; ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; GC, guanine-cytosine; HAI, histological activity index; HBsAg, hepatitis B surface antigen; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; IFN, interferon; LC, liver cirrhosis; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; RFLP, restriction fragment length polymorphism; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism; SVR, sustained viral response

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