Prevalence and Genotyping of Hepatitis D Virus among HBs Ag Positive Patients Referred to Besat Clinic, Kerman during 2012-2013

Introduction: Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a 35 nm in diameter agent that depends on hepatitis B surface antigen in order to proliferate and accumulate. Infection with delta agent can occur spontaneously with hepatitis B virus infection and it cause acute hepatitis or develop as secondary infection in the patients with hepatitis B. Hepatitis D virus (HDV) has several genotypes based on genome sequence analysis, which shows a variety of clinical protests and geographical scope. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis delta virus genotype in patients with positive HBs Ag. Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive study was performed on 400 HbsAg-positive patients. Genotype identification was performed using polymerase chain reaction and RT-nested PCR and RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism). Finally sample sequencing was considered to approve RFLP gained results. Results: Among 400 patients in this study, 67 participants (16.75 %) were containing anti-HDV antibody, and it was found HDV RNA in just 7 (1.75%) serum samples. By examining the sequences using analysis of these 7 positive HDV RNA samples by restriction enzyme and MEGA4 software showed that all of them have genotype I. Conclusion: Sequence analysis of C-terminal region of Hepatitis D virus (HDV) and its comparison with other countries showed that it was the same genotype that present in countries such as Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan. These finding indicated that there was the same origin of Hepatitis D virus (HDV) in Middle East.