Exceptional genetic variability of hepatitis B virus indicates that Rwanda is east of an emerging African genotype E/A1 divide

J Med Virol. 2009 Mar;81(3):435-40. doi: 10.1002/jmv.21412.

Abstract

In Western Africa, hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype E predominates throughout a vast crescent spanning from Senegal to Namibia and at least to the Central African Republic to the East. Although from most of the eastern parts of sub-Saharan Africa only limited sets of strains have been characterized, these belong predominantly to genotype A. To study how far the genotype E crescent extends to the East, a larger number of HBV strains from Rwanda were analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis of 45 S fragment sequences revealed strains of genotypes A (n = 30), D (n = 10), C (n = 4), and B (n = 1). Twelve genotype A sequences formed a new cluster clearly separated from the reference strains of the known sub-genotypes. Thus, with four genotypes and at least six sub-genotypes and a new cluster of genotype A strains, HBV shows an exceptional genetic variability in this small country, unprecedented in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite this exceptional genetic variability, not a single genotype E virus was found indicating that this country does not belong to the genotype E crescent, but is east of an emerging African genotype E/A1 divide.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cluster Analysis
  • DNA, Viral / chemistry
  • DNA, Viral / genetics
  • Female
  • Genetic Variation*
  • Genotype
  • Hepatitis B / epidemiology*
  • Hepatitis B / virology*
  • Hepatitis B virus / classification*
  • Hepatitis B virus / genetics*
  • Hepatitis B virus / isolation & purification
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phylogeny
  • Pregnant Women
  • Rwanda / epidemiology
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA

Substances

  • DNA, Viral

Associated data

  • GENBANK/FM199974
  • GENBANK/FM199975
  • GENBANK/FM199976
  • GENBANK/FM199977
  • GENBANK/FM199978
  • GENBANK/FM199979
  • GENBANK/FM199980
  • GENBANK/FM199981
  • GENBANK/FM200180
  • GENBANK/FM200181
  • GENBANK/FM200182
  • GENBANK/FM200183
  • GENBANK/FM200184
  • GENBANK/FM200185
  • GENBANK/FM200186
  • GENBANK/FM200187
  • GENBANK/FM200188
  • GENBANK/FM200189
  • GENBANK/FM200190
  • GENBANK/FM200191
  • GENBANK/FM200192
  • GENBANK/FM200193
  • GENBANK/FM200194
  • GENBANK/FM200195
  • GENBANK/FM200196
  • GENBANK/FM200197
  • GENBANK/FM200198
  • GENBANK/FM200199
  • GENBANK/FM200200
  • GENBANK/FM200201
  • GENBANK/FM200202
  • GENBANK/FM200203
  • GENBANK/FM200204
  • GENBANK/FM200205
  • GENBANK/FM200206
  • GENBANK/FM200207
  • GENBANK/FM200208
  • GENBANK/FM200209
  • GENBANK/FM200210
  • GENBANK/FM200211
  • GENBANK/FM200212
  • GENBANK/FM200213
  • GENBANK/FM200214
  • GENBANK/FM200215
  • GENBANK/FM200216