Characterization of hepatitis B virus X gene quasispecies complexity in mono-infection and hepatitis delta virus superinfection

Table 1 Baseline characteristics according to the clinical stage of hepatitis B virus or hepatitis B virus/hepatitis delta virus infection

	Total, n = 24	Chronic HBV infection, n = 7	Chronic hepatitis B, n = 8	Chronic hepatitis delta, n = 9	P value
Age, yr, median (IQR)	36.5 (30.75-48)	40 (33.5-60.5)	35.5 (32.75-42)	38 (30-41)	NS
Male, n (%)	14 (58)	4 (57)	4 (50)	6 (67)	NS
Ethnic group, n (%)
Caucasian	17 (71)	5 (71)	5 (62)	7 (78)	NS
Sub-Saharan	7 (29)	2 (29)	3 (38)	2 (22)
ALT, IU/L, median (IQR)	43 (31.75-118.5)	27 (16-30.5)	60 (44.25-118.5)	80 (39-138)	0.0007
HBeAg-, n (%)	19 (79)	7 (100)	8 (100)	4 (44)	0.005
HBsAg, logIU/mL, median (IQR)	3.8 (3.5-4.1)	3.6 (2.6-3.9)	3.6 (3.4-3.7)	4.1 (3.8-4.5)	0.0152
HBV DNA, logIU/mL, median (IQR)	3.5 (3.2-5.4)	3.2 (2.8-3.4)	5.4 (3.9-6.2)	3.4 (3.2-4)	0.0038
HDV RNA, logIU/mL, median (IQR)				5.5 (4.3-5.5)	-

IQR: Interquartile range; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; HBeAg: Hepatitis B e-antigen; HBsAg: Hepatitis B virus surface antigen; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; NS: Not specified; HDV: Hepatitis delta virus.

Table 2 Comparison of hepatitis B virus quasispecies complexity indices between hepatitis B e-antigen-negative and hepatitis B e-antigen-positive chronic hepatitis D patients

	CHD HBeAg-negative (n = 4)	CHD HBeAg-positive (n = 5)	P value
nHpl, median (IQR)	42 (36-47)	42 (27-54)	1.0
nMuts, median (IQR)	97.5 (72.5-104)	100 (18-100)	1.0
Mf, median (IQR)	0.039 (0.027-0.045)	0.035 (0.002-0.041)	0.4127
Pi, median (IQR)	0.047 (0.033-0.052)	0.046 (0.004-0.049)	0.5556
Hill number (q = 1), median (IQR)	17.29 (14.46-20.49)	16.62 (10.06-20.96)	1.0
Hill number (q = 2), median (IQR)	10.03 (8.29-12.11)	8.15 (6.56-10.42)	0.5556

IQR: Interquartile range; CHD: Chronic hepatitis D patients; nHpl: Number of haplotypes; nMuts: Number of mutations; Mf: Mutation frequency; Pi: Nucleotide diversity.

Table 3 Comparison of hepatitis B virus quasispecies complexity indices between patients with and without liver cirrhosis

	Cirrhotic (n = 5)	Non cirrhotic (n = 19)	P value
nHpl, median (IQR)	34 (28.5-44)	42 (27-60)	0.5456
nMuts, median (IQR)	28 (21-95.5)	100 (50-105)	0.2130
Mf, median (IQR)	0.035 (0.0019-0.0905)	0.03715 (0.0025-0.0440)	0.8311
Pi, median (IQR)	0.0223 (0.00347-0.0445)	0.0434 (0.0044-0.0481)	0.3937
Hill number (q = 1), median (IQR)	10.06 (6.7-18.69)	16.62 (7.02-22.02)	0.4994
Hill number (q = 2), median (IQR)	6.56 (2.81-10.23)	8.37 (3.05-10.42)	0.7223

IQR: Interquartile range; nHpl: Number of haplotypes; nMuts: Number of mutations; Mf: Mutation frequency; Pi: Nucleotide diversity.