Evaluation of genotype characteristics and drug resistance mutations in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Background: Hepatitis B is one of the public health priorities worldwide, especially in the Southwest China. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between genotypes and drug resistance mutations among HBV patients in Southwest China, with the objective of providing guidance for clinical antiviral treatment. Methods: A total of 4266 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated in the Qianjiang Hospital of Chongqing University were included in our study from 2014 to 2020. Both genotypes and drug-resistant mutations of CHB patients were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Genotype B and genotype C were the main HBV genotypes in our study. We found 54 mutation patterns, including 9 single-site mutations and 45 multiple-site mutations, accounting for 57.64% and 42.36%, respectively. RT204 (485/1936) was the most common single-site mutation type, and RT180+RT204 (482/1936) was the most common multiple-site mutation type. 1372 CHB patients were resistant to LAM+LDT, and 342 CHB patients were resistant to ADV. There was only 1 CHB patient who exhibited resistance to LAM+LDT+ADV+ETV, with a specific mutation pattern of RT181+RT184+RT204. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated trends in genetic mutations and drug resistance in CHB patients to enable timely adjustment of antiviral treatment strategies.