Hepatitis B – Genotyping

Consistent with O. Reg. 671/92 of the French Language Services Act, laboratory testing information on this page is only available in English because it is scientific or technical in nature and is for use only by qualified health care providers and not by members of the public.

*Uncontrolled print copy. Valid only on day of print: 01 May 2024.

Specimen Collection and Handling

Specimen Requirements

Test Requested	Required Requisition(s)	Specimen Type	Minimum Volume	Collection Kit
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Genotyping	General Test Requisition	Serum	1.0 ml	Blood, clotted - vacutainer tubes (SST)
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Genotyping	General Test Requisition	Plasma	1.0 ml	EDTA tubes

Submission and Collection Notes

Under ‘OTHER’ for clinical information, indicate results for markers to the Hepatitis B virus and HBV DNA. HBV DNA must have a detectable viral load.

Limitations

Haemolysed, icteric, lipemic or microbially contaminated sera or plasma are not recommended for testing.

Storage and Transport

Label the specimen container with the patient’s full name, date of collection and one other unique identifier such as the patient’s date of birth or Health Card Number. Failure to provide this information may result in rejection or testing delay.

Special Instructions

Centrifuge the SST/EDTA tube and transfer serum/plasma to a cryovial. Store serum/plasma specimen frozen at <-60°C following collection. Place specimen in biohazard bag and seal. Ship to PHOL frozen on dry ice or ice packs.

Requisitions and Kit Ordering

Test Frequency and Turnaround Time (TAT)

Hepatitis B - genotyping specimens are shipped to NML biweekly.

Turnaround time is up to 21 days

Test Methods

Hepatitis B - Genotyping Test is referred to the National Microbiology Lab (NML) in Winnipeg.

Hepatitis B serology and DNA results – Serology results must show markers to Hepatitis B virus and HBV DNA results must have detectable viral load.

Hepatitis B Genotype testing is performed by conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) followed by 1) line probe hybridization assay in which reactivity to genotype specific probes indicates the HBV genotype(s), or 2) sequence and phylogenetic analysis in comparison to HBV genotype reference sequences.

Reporting

Results are reported to the ordering physician or health care provider as indicated on the requisition.

References

LAB-SD-031, Hepatitis B (HBV) DNA Testing and Interpretation update