title: Hepatitis A virus: host interactions, molecular epidemiology and evolution.
abstract: Infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV) is the commonest viral cause of liver disease and presents an important public health problem worldwide. Several unique HAV properties and molecular mechanisms of its interaction with host were recently discovered and should aid in clarifying the pathogenesis of hepatitis A. Genetic characterization of HAV strains have resulted in the identification of different genotypes and subtypes, which exhibit a characteristic worldwide distribution. Shifts in HAV endemicity occurring in different parts of the world, introduction of genetically diverse strains from geographically distant regions, genotype displacement observed in some countries and population expansion detected in the last decades of the 20th century using phylogenetic analysis are important factors contributing to the complex dynamics of HAV infections worldwide. Strong selection pressures, some of which, like usage of deoptimized codons, are unique to HAV, limit genetic variability of the virus. Analysis of subgenomic regions has been proven useful for outbreak investigations. However, sharing short sequences among epidemiologically unrelated strains indicates that specific identification of HAV strains for molecular surveillance can be achieved only using whole-genome sequences. Here, we present up-to-date information on the HAV molecular epidemiology and evolution, and highlight the most relevant features of the HAV-host interactions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States. Electronic address: GVaughan@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Gilberto
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vaughan
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.
authors.forename: Livia Maria
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Goncalves Rossi
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.
authors.forename: Joseph C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Forbi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vanessa S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: de Paula
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Purdy
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.
authors.forename: Guoliang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.
authors.forename: Yury E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Khudyakov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D030041:Hepatitis A virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D012367:RNA, Viral
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Genetic relatedness; Genotype; Hepatitis A virus; Host factors; Molecular epidemiology; Molecular evolution