The hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a hepatotropic subvirus that is dependent on the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and supplies the viral envelope containing the surface antigen of hepatitis B. Viral genetic diversity is related to the geographical origin of the isolates, and there are at least eight genotypes that are referred to as HDV-1 through HDV-8. HDV-3 is responsible for epidemics of severe and fulminant hepatitis, which are common in northeastern South America. HDV-3 is prevalent in the Brazilian Amazon and is associated with the increased aggressiveness of HDV infections. Although isolated, the characteristics of the clinical presentation of HDV-1 in the Amazon region have not yet been clearly reported.
Objective: This study aims to assess the genotypic and clinical characteristics of individuals with the HDV-1 genotype in the western Amazon region.
Methods: The HDV was genotyped by nested PCR-RFLP and sequencing from serum samples of 56 patients with HBV/HDV infection. The genotypes were correlated with the clinical characteristics presented by patients with HBV/HDV infection.
Results: A prevalence of 92.3% for the HDV-3 genotype (n = 48) and 7.6% (n = 4) for the HDV-1 genotype was observed.
Conclusion: To date, this is the most extensive clinical study of HDV-1 genotype infections in the nonindigenous population of Western Amazonia.