There are eight genotypes (genotype A to H) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) which are distinguished by > 8 % difference in the nucleotide sequence of the HBV genome 1, 2). Genotypes A and D are common in Europe and the United States, while genotypes B and C are prevalent in Asia. Genotype F is frequent in Latin America, while genotype E is confined to Central and Western Africa.

Many studies indicate that HBV genotypes influence the severity of chronic hepatitis B and the response to interferon therapy. HBV genotypes have been determined by tedious methods such as direct sequencing, genotype-specific PCR, PCR-RFLP, line-probe assay (LiPA), or PCR-invader assay.

This product is an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) based HBV genotyping kit, designed to determine genotype (A, B, C, or D) by detecting genotype-specific epitopes in PreS2 region 3-5).