title: Characterization of hepatitis B virus genotypes among Yucpa Indians in Venezuela.
abstract: The complete genome sequences of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from 12 HBV-infected Yucpa Indians of Venezuela, a group with highly endemic HBV, were amplified and sequenced. The 12 isolates were closely related to each other, with 98.6-100% nucleotide identity. A phylogenetic tree based on the complete genome indicated clearly that they were genotype F. Three individuals had evidence of infection with two different HBV deletion mutants. In two individuals, a three amino acid deletion was identified just prior to the 'a' determinant loop of the S region. A third individual was infected with virus that contained a complete core reading frame and a population that contained a deletion in the middle of the core region. These results indicate that genotype F HBV is present in the Venezuelan Yucpa Amerindians and the complete genome sequence allowed the identification of two unique deletion mutants in a limited set of samples.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Medicine, Nagoya City University Medical School, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan2.|Hepatitis Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA1.
authors.forename: Tatsunori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.affiliation: Hepatitis Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA1.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Hepatitis Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA1.
authors.forename: Xiaolei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Medicine, Nagoya City University Medical School, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan2.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizokami
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Medicine, Nagoya City University Medical School, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan2.
authors.forename: Etsuro
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Orito
authors.affiliation: Hepatitis Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA1.
authors.forename: Craig N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.affiliation: Hepatitis Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA1.
authors.forename: Stephan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hadler
authors.affiliation: Hepatitis Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA1.
authors.forename: Betty H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Robertson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017384:Sequence Deletion / Q000235:genetics; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D014764:Viral Proteins