A method for genotyping hepatitis B virus by partial HBsAg gene sequencing with primers common to all known genotypes was developed. Mutations related to anti-HBs resistance are also detected with this method. Samples from 103 Brazilian patients were analyzed. Precore and core region of these viruses were also sequenced in 101 patients. Genotypes A, B, C, D, and F were found with frequencies of 49.5, 2.9, 13.6, 24.3, and 9.7%, respectively. Genotypes B and C were found only in Asian patients, whereas genotypes A, D, and F were more common in patients without an Asian background. Precore mutants were found in 32 ( Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is very common worldwide, and more than 350 million people are chronic carriers (22). HBV infection is associated with different clinical pic-tures and leads to chronic carrier state in 5 to 10% patients infected in adult life and 85 to 90% of those infected in infancy (13).HBV was formerly classified into four different subtypes that were afterward subdivided according to the antigenic determinants of HBsAg in adw (adw2 and adw4), ayw (ayw1, ayw2, ayw3, and ayw4), adr (adrqϩ adrqϪ), and ayr (33). Subtype a is common to the majority of viruses and is related to a neutralizing epitope. Divergence of the complete genome in a same subtype is ca. 8%, similar to the one found between different subtypes (38).Another classification reflecting the phylogenetic origin of the virus isolates was later proposed dividing HBV into six genotypes (36-38), designated A to F. These genotypes were differentiated by a sequence divergence in the entire genome exceeding 8%. Norder et al. (35) demonstrated that HBV genotyping could also be performed by sequencing the S gene.

Background: Patients under haemodialysis are considered at high risk to acquire hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Since few data are reported from Brazil, our aim was to assess the frequency and risk factors for HBV infection in haemodialysis patients from 22 Dialysis Centres from Santa Catarina State, south of Brazil.

Between 1986 and 1997 a total of 1418 patients were examined at the Clinical Analysis Teaching and Research Laboratory of Maringá State University (LEPAC/UEM) for cutaneous leishmaniasis by direct examination of stained smears made from the lesions, the Montenegro skin test and the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test. Nine hundred and fifty five patients (67.3%) were positive for at least one of the three tests and of these 804 (84.2%) were considered to have contracted the disease in Paraná State; 665 (69.6%) were between 15 and 49 years old; 658 (68.9%) were males; 523 (54.8%) sought medical advice during the first three months of their infections and 74 (7.7%) had mucosal lesions. Of the 83 counties of Paraná State, where the patients had most probably acquired their infections, 44.7% were from the counties of São Jorge do Ivaí (10.2%), Doutor Camargo (9.8%), Terra Boa (7.3%), Maringá (7.3%), Jussara (6.0%) and Cianorte (4.5%). Seventy seven strains of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis were isolated and 63.6% of these strains belong to serodema 1.

The influence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in the natural history of the disease and its response to antiviral treatment have been addressed in many studies. In Brazil, studies on HBV genotype circulation have been restricted to specific population groups and states. Here, we have conducted a nationwide multicentre study with an unprecedented sample size representing all Brazilian regions in an effort to better understand the viral variants of HBV circulating among chronic carriers. Seven HBV genotypes were found circulating in Brazil. Overall, HBV/A was the most prevalent, identified in 589 (58.7 %) samples, followed by HBV/D (23.4 %) and HBV/F (11.3 %). Genotypes E, G, C and B were found in a minor proportion. The distribution of the genotypes differed markedly from the north to the south of the country. While HBV/A was the most prevalent in the North (71.6 %) and Northeast (65.0 %) regions, HBV/D was found in 78.9 % of the specimens analysed in the South region. HBV/F was the second most prevalent genotype in the Northeast region (23.5 %). It was detected in low proportions (7 to 10 %) in the North, Central-West and Southeast regions, and in only one sample in the South region. HBV/E was detected in all regions except in the South, while monoinfection with HBV/G was found countrywide, with the exception of Central-West states. Our sampling covered 24 of the 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District and is the first report of genotype distribution in seven states. This nationwide study provides the most complete overview of HBV genotype distribution in Brazil to date and reflects the origin and plurality of the Brazilian population.

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HBV strains harbouring resistance mutations can comprise the major population of HBV quasispecies in treatment-naive patients. In Brazil, there is a very low frequency of untreated patients who are infected with these strains. These findings suggest that the spread and natural selection of drug-resistant HBV is an uncommon event and/or most of these strains remain unstable in the absence of NA selective pressure.

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The prevalence of these infectious diseases in pregnant women from northwestern Paraná is comparable to that observed in other regions of Brazil.