Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major human health problems worldwide. It is estimated that chronic HBV infection affects more than 350 million people globally. It is one of the leading causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. High genetic variability is a characteristic feature of HBV as the viral polymerase lacks proofreading activity. The nucleotide substitution rate for HBV is 10-fold higher than for other DNA viruses. Genetic variations of HBV influence the clinical outcome of HBV infection. There are eight genotypes of hepatitis B virus (A-H) that have a distinct geographical distribution. There is clinical significance of HBV genotype in terms of disease activity, risk of progression to cirrhosis, the development of hepatocellular carcinoma and response to antiviral treatments. Moreover, polymorphism in HBV viral polymerase influences the development of HBV mutants resistant to nucleotide analogue treatment that is a consequence of treatment failure.
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