Mutations in precore/basal core promoter regions and viral polymerase in patients with chronic hepatitis B]

Variations of C gene give rise to precore and basal core mutations, which influence HBeAg expression The antiviral treatment failure is due to the presence of variations in the gene P, which cause mutations in the viral polymerase.We performed genotyping of HBV P gene by sequencing, and gene C in patients with chronic hepatitis B over a period of five years.A total of 75% of the patients had some mutation in precore or in basal core promoter regions, and 37% demonstrated resistance mutations to antiviral treatment. The most frequent genotypes were A and D.The presence of mutations in core/precore regions in patients with chronic hepatitis has led to tighter control of these patients. Detecting for resistance should be done as quickly as possible before there is an increase in viral load.