Objective: To investigate the distribution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype B subgenotype in China.
Methods: A cohort of 511 patients with chronic HBV genotype B infection, collected from 7 centers across China, were analyzed by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) or nucleotide sequencing.
Results: For the 511 patients, only subgenotype Ba was identified and subgenotype Bj was not found.
Conclusion: In China, subgenotype Ba was the most prevalent HBV strains, while subgenotype Bj was very rarely found.