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Abstract：
Despite the availability of a vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV), this infection still causes public health problems, particularly in susceptible populations. In Portugal, universal free vaccination started in 1994, and most HBV infections are diagnosed in immigrants from high-prevalence countries. Our aim was to assess the pattern of HBV genotypes/subgenotypes in samples collected between 2017 and 2021 from a convenience sample of 70 infected residents in Portugal. The HBV pol/HBsAg region was amplified and sequenced, allowing the analysis of RT sequences submitted to phylogenetic analysis and mutations assessment. A total of 37.1% of samples were from native Portuguese, aged 25-53 years (mean: 36.7 years), and the remaining samples were from individuals born outside of Portugal. A high diversity of HBV was identified: subgenotypes A1-A3 in 41.0% (16/39); D1, D3, and D4 in 30.7% (12/39); E in 23.1% (9/39); and F4 in 2.6% (1/39). Besides genotypes A and D, Portuguese were also infected with genotypes E and F, which are prevalent in Africa and South America, respectively. Resistance mutations in RT sequences were not found. The findings provide valuable insights for updating the HBV molecular epidemiology in Portugal. However, successful strategies to prevent and control the infection are still needed in the country, especially among susceptible and vulnerable populations.
摘要：
尽管有针对乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）的疫苗，这种感染仍然会导致公共卫生问题，特别是在易感人群中。在葡萄牙,1994年开始普遍免费接种疫苗，大多数HBV感染是在高发国家的移民中诊断的。我们的目的是评估2017年至2021年从葡萄牙70名感染居民的便利样本中收集的样本中HBV基因型/亚基因型的模式。HBVpol/HBsAg区域扩增和测序，允许对提交给系统发育分析和突变评估的RT序列进行分析。共有37.1%的样本来自葡萄牙本土，年龄25-53岁（平均：36.7岁），其余样本来自葡萄牙境外出生的个体。确定了HBV的高度多样性：亚型A1-A3在41.0％（16/39）;D1，D3和D4在30.7％（12/39）;E在23.1％（9/39）;和F4在2.6％（1/39）。除了基因型A和D,葡萄牙人也感染了E和F基因型，这在非洲和南美洲很普遍，分别。在RT序列中未发现抗性突变。这些发现为更新葡萄牙的HBV分子流行病学提供了有价值的见解。然而,该国仍需要预防和控制感染的成功策略，特别是在易感人群和弱势群体中。
