[Partial nucleotide sequencing of 7 hepatitis E virus strains isolated from sera of patients with acute sporadic hepatitis E in China].
OBJECTIVE
To compare partial nucleotide and amino acid sequences between epidemic and sporadic hepatitis E viruses (HEV) in China and their relation to the frequency of hepatitis E (HE).


METHODS
A reverse transcription nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nPCR) was used for the amplication of HEV open reading frame 2 (ORF2) cDNA from sera of patients with acute sporadic HE. The RT-nPCR products of HEV ORF2 cDNA were directly sequenced using a sequenase version 2.0 kit with the dideoxy sequencing method.


RESULTS
28 of 41 sera of patients with acute sporadic HE obtained from Shenzhen, Changchun, Hangzhou, Xian and Beijing by RT-nPCR were HEV ORF2 cDNA positive, and 7 of them were sequenced. The nucleotide homology of the seven HEV ORF2 cDNA was 78.9%-80.2%, as compared with the Mexico strain of HEV (M); 93.1%-95.1% with the Burma epidemic strain of HEV (B) (Ep); 92.3%-94.2% with the Burma sporadic strain of HEV (B) (Sp); 96.5%-98.9% with the Xinjiang epidemic strain of HEV CH 1.1; and 95.7%-100.0% between them.


CONCLUSIONS
The seven strains of HEV ORF2 cDNA isolated from sera of acute sporadic HE cases have a higher degree of homology with the HEV CH 1.1 and the HEV (B), and may belong to HEV (B) subtype, as the HEV CH1.1 does.
Zhu
X
X
Department of Microbiology, Beijing Medical University, Beijing.
Zhuang
H
H
Zhu
W
W
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000821:virology*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
D004279:DNA, Viral