title: Hepatitis B virus genotype G epidemiology and co-infection with genotype A in Canada.
abstract: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype G (HBV/G) is an unusual variant, and little is known about its epidemiology and natural history, particularly the requirement for a co-infecting HBV genotype and their relationship during infection. This study investigated the quasispecies nature of co-infecting genotypes in 39 samples collected over a 6 year period from 13 HBV/G-infected patients. HBV/G infections were found to occur predominantly in males (92 %) and were primarily associated with male homosexual sex (67 %). All patients were infected with HBV/G and HBV/A, or a recombinant HBV/A/G strain. Co-infecting genotypic prevalence was often observed to fluctuate over time, with periods of HBV/G monoinfection in some patients. The average sequence divergence among Canadian HBV/G strains was 1.57+/-0.62 %. Thus, all HBV/G infections in Canada occur in the context of co-infection or recombination with HBV/A, and strains display increased sequence divergence compared with all known HBV/G sequences described to date.
authors.affiliation: Section of Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.|Bloodborne Pathogens and Hepatitis, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Osiowy
authors.affiliation: Bloodborne Pathogens and Hepatitis, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.affiliation: Bloodborne Pathogens and Hepatitis, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Borlang
authors.affiliation: Bloodborne Pathogens and Hepatitis, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giles
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Saint Luc du Centre Hospitalier, Universitaire de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Villeneuve
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015995:Prevalence; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D019562:Viral Load