A new genotype 2 subcluster identified among GBV-C strains circulating in the Lisbon metropolitan area of Portugal
✍ Scribed by Cristina Branco; Aida Esteves; João Piedade; Ricardo Parreira
- Book ID
- 102382987
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2010
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 200 KB
- Volume
- 82
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0146-6615
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
The rate of infection by the GBV‐C virus was investigated in a group of 214 individuals at high risk of infection with parenterally transmitted viruses, and all living in the Lisbon metropolitan area (Portugal). RNA was extracted from plasma samples, and a fragment of the 5′‐UTR was amplified by RT‐PCR, disclosing a high prevalence of infection (40.7%). Most probably due to similar modes of viral transmission, the majority of GBV‐C (+) individuals were found to be coinfected with HIV and/or HCV. A genomic region covering part of the E1/E2 glycoprotein coding sequence was amplified from approximately half of the GBV‐C positive samples (44/87). Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences showed segregation of Portuguese GBV‐C strains with genotype 1 (G1, n = 10) and genotype 2 (G2, n = 24) references. Genotype 1 was significantly associated with the African descent of those infected. Curiously, some of the strains assigned to genotype 2 were shown to form a separate cluster (designated G2*) in both neighbor‐joining and Bayesian phylogenetic trees, which was confirmed by multivariate principal coordinate analysis. However, analysis of the distribution of intra‐ and intergenotype genetic distances support the hypothesis that rather than corresponding to a new viral genotype, G2* is a geographical subcluster within the genotype 2 radiation. J. Med. Virol. 82:452–459, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.