title: Divergent quasispecies evolution in de novo hepatitis C virus infection associated with bone marrow transplantation.
abstract: Quasispecies is a remarkable characteristic of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and has profound roles in HCV biology and clinical practice. The understanding of HCV quasispecies behavior, in particular in acute HCV infection, is valuable for vaccine development and therapeutic interference. However, acute HCV infection is seldom encountered in clinic practice due to its silent onset. In the present study, we reported a unique case of de novo HCV infection associated with the transplantation of bone marrow from a HCV-positive donor. HCV quasispecies diversity was determined in both the donor and the recipient over a 4-year follow-up, accompanied with simultaneous measurement of HCV neutralizing antibody. Detailed genetic and phylogenetic analyses revealed a divergent quasispecies evolution, which was not related to dynamic changes of HCV neutralizing antibody. Instead, our data suggested an essential role of the fitness adaptation of founder viral population in driving such an evolutionary pattern.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA.
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: De
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Yanjuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Brunt
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Adrian M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Di Bisceglie
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000276:immunology*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies