Hepatitis G virus genotypes in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands: a possible new Pacific type identified.
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis G Virus (HGV)/GB Virus-C (GBV-C) is a newly discovered RNA virus. Nucleotide sequence comparison and phylogenetic studies of the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) within the viral genome have identified at least three different types which have provisionally been classified as type 1 (West African origin), type 2 (North American origin) and type 3 (Asian origin).


RESULTS
The products of RT-PCR were sequenced by using blood donors and patients infected with HGV/GBV-C in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to investigate the genotype distribution in this area of the world. All the Australian isolates showed strong sequence homology with type 2, while the Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands sequences were more closely related, but differ from type 3, which has previously been reported from isolates studied within Asia.


CONCLUSIONS
Phylogenetic analysis suggests that these latter sequences are either a new HGV/GBV-C Pacific type or a subtype of the Asian type RNA virus. Isolates homologous with type 1 were not identified in these population groups.
Mison
L
L
Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Queensland, Brisbane. lmison@arcbs.redcross.org.au
Hyland
C
C
Poidinger
M
M
Borthwick
I
I
Faoagali
J
J
Aeno
U
U
Gowans
E
E
D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008542:Melanesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D010219:Papua New Guinea / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA
D012367:RNA, Viral