BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) can be classified into nine genotypes (A-I) defined by sequence divergence of more than 8% based on the complete genome. This study aims to identify the genotypic distribution of HBV in 40 HBsAg-positive patients from Rondônia, Brazil. A fragment of 1306 bp partially comprising surface and polymerase overlapping genes was amplified by PCR. Amplified DNA was purified and sequenced. Amplified DNA was purified and sequenced on an ABI PRISM® 377 Automatic Sequencer (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA). The obtained sequences were aligned with reference sequences obtained from the GenBank using Clustal X software and then edited with Se-Al software. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted by the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach using BEAST v.1.5.3.ResultsThe subgenotypes distribution was A1 (37.1%), D3 (22.8%), F2a (20.0%), D4 (17.1%) and D2 (2.8%).ConclusionsThese results for the first HBV genotypic characterization in Rondônia state are consistent with other studies in Brazil, showing the presence of several HBV genotypes that reflects the mixed origin of the population, involving descendants from Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans.

These findings support the use of this effective therapeutic protocol for HDV-3 in patients of non-European ethnicity and suggest a possible 'easy to treat' variant when compared to HDV-1.

The hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a globally distributed agent, and its genetic variability allows for it to be organized into eight genotypes with different geographic distributions. In South America, genotype 3 (HDV-3) is frequently isolated and responsible for the most severe form of infection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the evolutionary and epidemiological dynamics of HDV-3 over the years and to describe its distribution throughout this continent in an evolutionary perspective. While using Bayesian analysis, with strains being deposited in the Nucleotide database, the most recent common ancestor was dated back to 1964 and phylogenetic analysis indicated that the dispersion may have started in Brazil, spreading to Venezuela and then to Colombia, respectively. Exponential growth in the effective number of infections was observed between the 1950s and 1970s, years after the first report of the presence of HDV on the continent, during the Labrea Black Fever outbreak, which showed that the virus continued to spread, increasing the number of cases decades after the first reports. Subsequently, the analysis showed a decrease in the epidemiological levels of HDV, which was probably due to the implantation of the vaccine against its helper virus, hepatitis B virus, and serological screening methods implemented in the blood banks.

Introdução: Doenças respiratórias caracterizam-se como infecções que causam obstrução da passagem de ar tanto a nível do trato respiratório superior como inferior e estão entre as infecções de maior índice de morbimortalidade do mundo. Objetivos: O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar as principais infecções respiratórias de importância clínica e os principais agentes etiológicos, compilando os tipos de infecções, agentes etiológicos mais prevalentes e os principais locais de estudo. Materiais e Métodos: Trata-se de uma revisão sistemática realizada mediante pesquisa de artigos publicados entre os anos de 2010 e 2016, nos idiomas Português, Espanhol e Inglês. A coleta eletrônica foi conduzida utilizando os bancos de dados MEDLINE/PubMed e BVS e usando os seguintes descritores, respiratory tract infection, epidemiology, mortality e transmission, indexados no Medical Subject Headings database (MeSH). Resultados: Seguindo os critérios de inclusão e exclusão, foram selecionados 33 estudos para revisão. Foi perceptível o alto índice de publicações do Brasil referente ao tema, seguido da China, EUA, Áustria e Reino Unido. Foi observado que grande parte dos estudos mencionou a influenza como patologia clínica predominante, ficando evidente que o principal agente causador das infecções respiratórias foi o agente etiológico viral, seguido do bacteriano. Conclusão: Constatou-se uma alta distribuição geográfica dos estudos referente ao tema, destacando o Brasil como o país com o maior número de publicações. Porém, o assunto ainda é pouco discutido frente ao grande impacto socioeconômico causado pelo mesmo. No que diz respeito aos agentes etiológicos causadores das infecções respiratórias, prevaleceram os vírus, sugerindo então um melhor esquema de diagnóstico a cerca desse tipo de infecção. Introduction: Respiratory diseases are defined as infections that obstruct the air passage both at the upper and lower respiratory tract and are among the infections with the highest morbidity and mortality rate in the world. Objectives: This study aims to analyze the respiratory infections of clinical importance and their main etiological agents, compiling the types of infections, the most prevalent etiological agents, and the main study sites. Materials and Methods: This is a systematic review performed through articles published between 2010 and 2016 in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. The electronic collect was conducted using the MEDLINE / PubMed and BVS databases and using the following descriptors, respiratory tract infection, epidemiology, mortality, and transmission, indexed in Medical Subject Headings database (MeSH). Results: Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 33 studies were selected for review. It was noticeable the high index of publications of Brazil referring to the subject, followed by China, USA, Austria and United Kingdom. It was observed that most of the studies mentioned influenza as the predominant respiratory clinical pathology. It is evident that the main cause of the respiratory infections was the viral etiologic agent followed by bacteria. Conclusion: We found a high geographical distribution of the studies related to the topic, where Brazil was highlighted as the country in which there were more publications. However, the subject is still little discussed given the socioeconomic impact caused by it. Concerning the etiological agents that cause respiratory infections, viruses prevailed, suggesting a better diagnostic approach to this type of infection.