PREVALENCE AND GENETIC VARIANTS OF VIRUS HEPATITIS B IN PREGNANT WOMEN

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the prevalence of hepatitis B in Europe, Russia and St. Petersburg, to assess the current epidemic trends of chronic hepatitis B in pregnant women in St. Petersburg and to determine the genetic variants of HBV circulating among them. Materials and methods. In this paper, we analyzed the rates of detection of HBsAg in Europe, Russia and St. Petersburg. Additionally, the HBsAg detection frequency in pregnant women in St. Petersburg was analyzed. Moreover, to study the heterogeneity of HBV in pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B in SPb, plasma samples from 13 patients were examined. HBV DNA was isolated from the blood plasma using the commercial kit AmpliPrime Ribo-Prep following the manufacturer’s protocol. Results and discussion. The incidence of HBsAg detection in pregnant women in St. Petersburg was higher than the morbidity rate in the 18–39 age group in the general population. The study revealed the circulation of 4 subgenotypes: A2, D1, D2, D3 and one recombinant form of A/D. Conclusion. Despite some positive trends, the epidemic situation with hepatitis B in pregnant women in St. Petersburg remains serious. Since there are significant differences between HBV genotypes with respect to clinical features, to the response to antiviral therapy, as well as regarding the risk of a vertical transmission, it is advisable to determine the HBV genotype in broader groups of patients.