Long-term evolution of the hypervariable region of hepatitis C virus in a common-source-infected cohort.

ABSTRACT: The long-term evolution of the hepatitis C virus hypervariable region (HVR) and flanking regions of the E1 and E2 envelope proteins have been studied in a cohort of women infected from a common source of anti-D immunoglobulin. Whereas virus sequences in the infectious source were relatively homogeneous, distinct HVR variants were observed in each anti-D recipient, indicating that this region can evolve in multiple directions from the same point. Where HVR variants with dissimilar sequences were present in a single individual, the frequency of synonymous substitution in the flanking regions suggested that the lineages diverged more than a decade previously. Even where a single major HVR variant was present in an infected individual, this lineage was usually several years old. Multiple linea

SUBMITTER: McAllister J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC110045 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature