Partial nucleotide sequencing of hepatitis E viruses detected in sera of patients with hepatitis E from 14 cities in China.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the genotypes of hepatitis E viruses (HEV) detected in sera of patients from different regions of China.


METHODS
The partial genome (nt6461-6860, nt5994-6294) of open reading frame 2 (ORF2) of 45 HEV strains detected from 14 cities of China was amplified and sequenced using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing.


RESULTS
Forty-one of 45 strains (91%) share the same genotype with HEV Burma strain (B), with nucleotide identities higher than 98% with the representative HEV Chinese strain. Only 4 HEV strains are significantly divergent from the 3 prototype strains of HEV, with nucleotide identities of 77%-80% with HEV Burmese/Chinese strain, 74%-76% with Mexican strain and 74%-77% with the newly discovered HEV US/swine strain, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that these 4 strains may represent 2 different subtypes that belong to a novel genotype of HEV, which is significantly divergent from the prototype Mexico, Burmese and US/swine strains.


CONCLUSIONS
Among patients with hepatitis E in China, most are infected by the Chinese prototype HEV, and only a small part by the new genotype HEV.
Li
Kui
K
Department of Microbiology, Peking University Health Science Center, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100083, China.
Zhuang
Hui
H
Zhu
Wanfu
W
D001483:Base Sequence; D005838:Genotype; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000821:virology*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry
D012367:RNA, Viral