title: Molecular characterization of genotype 2 and 4 hepatitis C virus isolates in French blood donors.
abstract: The subtype distribution of 142 genotype 2 and 97 genotype 4 hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates from the sera of 1,319 volunteer blood donors in France was determined by gene sequencing and by phylogenetic analysis of the NS5B region and E1 envelope. Findings underlined a wide range of subtypes in both genotypes, that is, 20 in HCV-2 and 11 in HCV-4. Eighteen of these 31 subtypes had not been defined previously. Some subtypes, that is, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2i, 2k, 4a, and 4d, showed numerous strains while subtypes in donors from West Africa or Central Africa showed an endemic profile with only a few strains. A Bayesian coalescence approach was used to estimate the demographic history of each HCV subtype. The estimated mean dates of the most recent common ancestors (MRCA) were 1,889 (confidence interval (CI), 1,842-1,930) for HCV-2a, 1,886 (CI, 1,843-1,921) for HCV-2b, 1,791 (CI, 1,699-1,848) for HCV-2c, 1,846 (CI, 1,803-1,878) for HCV-2i, 1,911 (CI, 1,879-1,937) for HCV-4a, and 1,957 (CI, 1,943-1,967) for HCV-4d. The period of spread for subtype 2b, 2c, and 2i was between 1900 and 1960 whereas rapid exponential spread for subtype 2a, 4a, and 4d occurred in the 1960s. The inferred histories of population growth indicated that transmission rates differed according to HCV subtype. These results may help to predict the future burden of HCV in France.
authors: Unité Emergence et coévolution virale, UMR 6578, CNRS-Etablissement Français du Sang Alpes-Méditerranée, Marseille, France. jean-francois.cantaloube@univmed.fr
authors: Jean-François
authors: JF
authors: Cantaloube
authors: Pierre
authors: P
authors: Gallian
authors: Syria
authors: S
authors: Laperche
authors: Marie-Héléne
authors: MH
authors: Elghouzzi
authors: Yves
authors: Y
authors: Piquet
authors: Françoise
authors: F
authors: Bouchardeau
authors: Francois
authors: F
authors: Jordier
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Biagini
authors: Houssam
authors: H
authors: Attoui
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: de Micco
mesh_terms: D001499:Bayes Theorem; D001782:Blood Donors; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
chemical_list: D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C087035:E1 protein, Hepatitis C virus; C087036:NS-5 protein, hepatitis C virus; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase