title: Tracing hepatitis B virus to the 16th century in a Korean mummy.
abstract: A rare find of a mummified child from the 16th century AD, in Korea, with relatively preserved organs, enabled a search for ancient hepatitis B virus (aHBV) DNA sequences from laparoscopic-derived liver biopsies. Analysis of the complete aHBV genome (3,215 base pairs) revealed a unique HBV genotype C2 (HBV/C2) sequence commonly spread in Southeast Asia, which probably represents an HBV that infected the Joseon Dynasty population in Korea. Comparison of the aHBV sequences with contemporary HBV/C2 DNA sequences revealed distinctive differences along four open reading frames. Genetic diversity between contemporary and recovered aHBV/C2 DNA may be the result of immunologic, environmental, and/or pharmacologic pressures. The calculated time of most recent common ancestor suggests that the Korean HBV sequence origin dates back at least 3,000 years and possibly as long as 100,000 years. This isolate most likely represents the earliest human HBV sequence that colonized Southeast Asia by human migration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study describes the complete sequence of the oldest HBV isolate and the most ancient full viral genome known so far.
authors.affiliation: The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Gila
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kahila Bar-Gal
authors.forename: Myeung Ju
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Athalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Dong Hoon
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Chang Seok
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Jong Wan
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae-Hyun
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seok Bae
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Orit
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pappo
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spigelman
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shouval
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000266:history / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D049669:History, 16th Century; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D009106:Mummies / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral