Hepatitis B Virus Genotype C is Predominant in Myanmar

Nan Nwe Win; Shingo Nakamoto; Myint Myint Sein; Mitsuhiko Moriyama; Tatsuo Kanda; Hiroshi Shirasawa

doi:10.3390/diseases6010003

Hepatitis B Virus Genotype C is Predominant in Myanmar

Diseases. 2017 Dec 26;6(1):3. doi: 10.3390/diseases6010003.

Authors

Nan Nwe Win¹, Shingo Nakamoto², Myint Myint Sein³, Mitsuhiko Moriyama⁴, Tatsuo Kanda⁵, Hiroshi Shirasawa⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Virology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana 1-8-1, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8677, Japan. nannwewin@gmail.com.
² Department of Molecular Virology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana 1-8-1, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8677, Japan. nakamotoer@yahoo.co.jp.
³ Department of Molecular Virology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana 1-8-1, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8677, Japan. mmseindr@gmail.com.
⁴ Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi-Kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan. moriyama.mitsuhiko@nihon-u.ac.jp.
⁵ Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi-Kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan. kandat-cib@umin.ac.jp.
⁶ Department of Molecular Virology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana 1-8-1, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8677, Japan. sirasawa@faculty.chiba-u.jp.

Abstract

Myanmar is adjacent to India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos and China. In Myanmar, the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections is 6.5% and accounts for 60% of hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV has nine genotypes that have been identified by molecular genetic analysis. HBV genotypes are associated with several clinical features. We reviewed the prevalence of HBV genotypes in Myanmar and neighboring countries. We also reviewed HBV genotypes in refugees from Myanmar. HBV subgenotype C1 is predominant in Myanmar. As HBV genotype C is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), it is important to screen for cirrhosis and HCC and to prevent their development in HBV-infected individuals of Myanmar.

Keywords: HBV genotypes; Myanmar; hepatitis B virus.