Evidence of an Exponential Decay Pattern of the Hepatitis Delta Virus Evolution Rate and Fluctuations in Quasispecies Complexity in Long-Term Studies of Chronic Delta Infection.

ABSTRACT: Chronic HDV infection can cause a severe form of viral hepatitis for which there is no specific treatment. Characterization of the hepatitis B or C viral quasispecies has provided insight into treatment failure and disease recurrence following liver transplantation, has proven useful to understand hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion, and has helped to predict whether hepatitis C infection will resolve or become chronic. It is likely that characterization of the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) quasispecies will ultimately have similar value for the management of this infection. This study sought to determine the RNA evolution rates in serum of chronic hepatitis delta (CHD) treatment-naïve patients, using next-generation sequencing methods. The region selected for study encompassed nucleotide p

SUBMITTER: Homs M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4928832 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature