Molecular evolution in court: analysis of a large hepatitis C virus outbreak from an evolving source.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Molecular phylogenetic analyses are used increasingly in the epidemiological investigation of outbreaks and transmission cases involving rapidly evolving RNA viruses. Here, we present the results of such an analysis that contributed to the conviction of an anesthetist as being responsible for the infection of 275 of his patients with hepatitis C virus.

Results

We obtained sequences of the NS5B and E1-E2 regions in the viral genome for 322 patients suspected to have been infected by the doctor, and for 44 local, unrelated controls. The analysis of 4,184 cloned sequences of the E1-E2 region allowed us to exclude 47 patients from the outbreak. A subset of patients had known dates of infection. We used these data to calibrate a relaxed molecular clock and to determine

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez-Candelas F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3717074 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature