title: Epidemic dynamics of two coexisting hepatitis C virus subtypes.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects about 3% of the human population. Phylogenetic analyses have grouped its variants into six major genotypes, which have a star-like distribution and several minor subtypes. The most abundant genotype in Europe is the so-called genotype 1, with two prevalent subtypes, 1a and 1b. In order to explain the higher prevalence of subtype 1b over 1a, a large-scale sequence analysis (100 virus clones) has been carried out over 25 patients of both subtypes in two regions of the HCV genome: one comprising hypervariable region 1 and another including the interferon sensitivity-determining region. Neither polymorphism analysis nor molecular variance analysis (attending to intra- and intersubtype differences, age, sex and previous history of antiviral treatment) was able to show any particular difference between subtypes that might account for their different prevalence. Only the demographic history of the populations carrying both subtypes and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) for risk practice suggested that the route of transmission may be the most important factor to explain the observed difference.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva and Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Hernández
authors.affiliation: Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva and Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torres-Puente
authors.affiliation: Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva and Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Alma
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bracho
authors.affiliation: Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva and Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Inmaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: García-Robles
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital General de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Clínico de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Del Olmo
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Hepatología, Hospital General de Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carnicer
authors.affiliation: Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva and Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: González-Candelas
authors.affiliation: Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva and Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moya
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data