[Research on serum HBV cccDNA and genotype of virus in children with chronic hepatitis B].

Objective: To study the serum HBV cccDNA and genotype of hepatitis B virus in children in Gansu province.

Methods: 124 HBV-DNA positive children were randomly selected, with 84 males and 40 females. Among the 124 patients, 65 were HBV carriers, 59 were chronic hepatitis (31 mild, 18 moderate and 10 severe). Genotypes of their serum HBV, liver function, HBV-DNA load and serum HBV cccDNA were detected.

Results: In the moderate and severe groups, HBV cccDNA positive rate was higher than that in the HBV carriers or the mild group (F = 25.429, P < 0.01). The HBV cccDNA detection rate in HBeAg positive group was higher than that in the HBeAg negative group (F = 28.386, P < 0.01). In the HBV cccDNA positive group, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, total bilirubin were higher than that in the negative group (t respectively 13.241, 11.347, 15.013, P < 0.01). Both C and B genotypes appeared to be the majority while C genotype was dominant in the 124 cases of children hepatitis, with the rest as B/C and some other genotypes. The positive rate of HBV cccDNA C genotype was higher than that of the genotype B (F = 23.216, P < 0.01) and the negative rate of HBV cccDNA genotype was higher than that of the C genotype (F = 26.364, P < 0.01).

Conclusion: Higher detection rate was found in those more severe cases in the peripheral blood streams. HBV cccDNA and genotype testing might better reflect the level of HBV replication and the clinical severity of the disease, showing its guiding role in clinical diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B.