Hepatitis C virus sequences from different patients confirm the existence and transmissibility of subtype 2q, a rare subtype circulating in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, Spain

[Guest guest]

J Med Virol. 2011 May;83(5):820-6. doi: 10.1002/jmv.22054.

Hepatitis C virus sequences from different patients confirm the existence and

transmissibility of subtype 2q, a rare subtype circulating in the metropolitan

area of Barcelona, Spain.

Martró E, Valero A, Jordana-Lluch E, Saludes V, Planas R, González-Candelas F,

Ausina V, Bracho MA.

Microbiology Service, Health Sciences Research Institute of the " Germans Trias i

Pujol " Foundation, " Germans Trias i Pujol " Hospital, Autonoma University of

Barcelona, Badalona, Spain; Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology

and Public Health (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain.

emartro.igtp.germanstrias@....

Abstract

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been classified into six genotypes and more than

70 subtypes with distinct geographical and epidemiological distributions. While

18 genotype 2 subtypes have been proposed, only 5 have had their complete

sequence determined. The aim of this study was to characterize HCV isolates from

three patients from the Barcelona metropolitan area of Spain for whom commercial

genotyping methods provided discordant results. Full-length genome sequencing

was carried out for 2 of the 3 patients; for the third patient only partial NS5B

sequences could be obtained. The generated sequences were subjected to

phylogenetic, recombination, and identity analyses. Sequences covering most of

the HCV genome (9398 and 9566 nt in length) were obtained and showed a 90.3%

identity to each other at the nucleotide level, while both sequences differed by

17.5-22.6% from the other fully sequenced genotype 2 subtypes. No evidence of

recombination was found. The NS5B phylogenetic tree showed that sequences from

the three patients cluster together with the only representative sequence of the

provisionally designed 2q subtype, which also corresponds to a patient from

Barcelona. Phylogenetic analysis of the full coding sequence showed that subtype

2q was more closely related to subtype 2k. The results obtained in this study

suggest that subtype 2q now meets the requirements for confirmed designation

status according to consensus criteria for HCV classification and nomenclature,

and its epidemiological value is ensured as it has spread among several patients

in the Barcelona metropolitan area. J. Med. Virol. 83:820-826, 2011. © 2011

Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 21412791 [PubMed - in process]

[Guest guest]

J Med Virol. 2011 May;83(5):820-6. doi: 10.1002/jmv.22054.

Hepatitis C virus sequences from different patients confirm the existence and

transmissibility of subtype 2q, a rare subtype circulating in the metropolitan

area of Barcelona, Spain.

Martró E, Valero A, Jordana-Lluch E, Saludes V, Planas R, González-Candelas F,

Ausina V, Bracho MA.

Microbiology Service, Health Sciences Research Institute of the " Germans Trias i

Pujol " Foundation, " Germans Trias i Pujol " Hospital, Autonoma University of

Barcelona, Badalona, Spain; Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology

and Public Health (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain.

emartro.igtp.germanstrias@....

Abstract

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been classified into six genotypes and more than

70 subtypes with distinct geographical and epidemiological distributions. While

18 genotype 2 subtypes have been proposed, only 5 have had their complete

sequence determined. The aim of this study was to characterize HCV isolates from

three patients from the Barcelona metropolitan area of Spain for whom commercial

genotyping methods provided discordant results. Full-length genome sequencing

was carried out for 2 of the 3 patients; for the third patient only partial NS5B

sequences could be obtained. The generated sequences were subjected to

phylogenetic, recombination, and identity analyses. Sequences covering most of

the HCV genome (9398 and 9566 nt in length) were obtained and showed a 90.3%

identity to each other at the nucleotide level, while both sequences differed by

17.5-22.6% from the other fully sequenced genotype 2 subtypes. No evidence of

recombination was found. The NS5B phylogenetic tree showed that sequences from

the three patients cluster together with the only representative sequence of the

provisionally designed 2q subtype, which also corresponds to a patient from

Barcelona. Phylogenetic analysis of the full coding sequence showed that subtype

2q was more closely related to subtype 2k. The results obtained in this study

suggest that subtype 2q now meets the requirements for confirmed designation

status according to consensus criteria for HCV classification and nomenclature,

and its epidemiological value is ensured as it has spread among several patients

in the Barcelona metropolitan area. J. Med. Virol. 83:820-826, 2011. © 2011

Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 21412791 [PubMed - in process]