Comparison of hepatitis B virus subgenotypes in patients with acute and chronic hepatitis B and absence of lamivudine-resistant strains in acute hepatitis B in Japan

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been classified into eight genotypes and can be further divided into several subgenotypes that have different geographic distributions. Because of increased human migration, the prevalence of rare subgenotypes is increasing in Japanese patients with acute hepatitis B. Lamivudine-resistant strains of HBV have begun to emerge in association with chronic hepatitis B. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of HBV subgenotypes and lamivudine-resistant strains in patients in Japan with acute hepatitis B. One hundred twenty-three patients with acute hepatitis B and 123 with chronic hepatitis B were studied. HBV subgenotypes and lamivudine-resistance mutations were determined by direct sequencing of the preS and polymerase region, respectively. HBV subgenotypes Aa (n = 3), Ae (n = 23), Ba (n = 7), Bi (n = 3), Cs (n = 7), Ce (n = 76), D (n = 2), and H (n = 2) were detected in patients with acute hepatitis. In patients with chronic hepatitis, HBV subgenotypes Ae (n = 4), Ba (n = 1), Bj (n = 18), and Ce (n = 100) were found. Non-common Japanese subgenotypes, that is, non-Bj and non-Ce, were detected more frequently in patients with acute hepatitis (35.8%) than in patients with chronic hepatitis (4.1%) (Odds ratio, 0.076; 95% Cl, 0.029-0.200; P < 0.0001). Lamivudine-resistance mutations were detected in chronic hepatitis patients with breakthrough hepatitis but not in other patients. In conclusion, the prevalence of uncommon Japanese HBV subgenotypes is expected to increase, although larnivudine-resistant strains have not yet been found in patients with acute hepatitis B.