Enigmatic origin of hepatitis B virus:An ancient travelling companion or a recent encounter?

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)is the leading cause of liver disease and infects an estimated 240 million people worldwide.It is characterised by a high degree of genetic heterogeneity because of the use of a reverse transcriptase during viral replication.The ten genotypes(A-J)that have been described so far...

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Published inWorld journal of gastroenterology : WJG Vol. 20; no. 24; pp. 7622 - 7634
Main Author Zehender, Gianguglielmo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Baishideng Publishing Group Inc 28.06.2014
Subjects
and
Evolution, Molecular
Genotype
genotypes
Hepatitis
Hepatitis B - epidemiology
Hepatitis B - transmission
Hepatitis B - virology
Hepatitis B virus - genetics
Hepatitis B virus - pathogenicity
Humans
Molecular Epidemiology
Phenotype
Phylo
Phylogeny
Phylogeography
Population Dynamics
subgenotypes
Topic Highlight
virus
Molecular epidemiology
Hepatitis B virus phylodynamics
Hepatitis B virus genotypes and subgenotypes
Population dynamics and epidemics
Phylogeography
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Summary:Hepatitis B virus(HBV)is the leading cause of liver disease and infects an estimated 240 million people worldwide.It is characterised by a high degree of genetic heterogeneity because of the use of a reverse transcriptase during viral replication.The ten genotypes(A-J)that have been described so far further segregate into a number of subgenotypes which have distinct ethno-geographic distribution.Genotypes A and D are ubiquitous and the most prevalent genotypes in Europe(mainly represented by subgenotypes D1-3 and A2);genotypes B and C are restricted to eastern Asia and Oceania;genotype E to central and western Africa;and genotypes H and F(classified into 4 subgenotypes)to Latin America and Alaska.This review summarises the data obtained by studying the global phylodynamics and phylogeography of HBV genotypes,particularly those concerning the origin and dispersion histories of genotypes A,D,E and F and their subgenotypes.The lack of any consensus concerning the HBV substitution rate and the conflicting data obtained using different calibration approaches make the time of origin and divergence of the various genotypes and subgenotypes largely uncertain.It is hypothesised that HBV evolutionary rates are time dependent,and that the changes depend on the main transmission routes of the genotypes and the dynamics of the infected populations.
Bibliography:Gianguglielmo Zehender;Erika Ebranati;Elena Gabanelli;Chiara Sorrentino;Alessra Lo Presti;Elisabetta Tanzi;Massimo Ciccozzi;Massimo Galli;L.Sacco Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences,University of Milan,20157 Milan,Italy;Department of Infectious,Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases,National Institute of Health,00161 Rome,Italy;Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health,University of Milan,20157 Milan,Italy
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Correspondence to: Gianguglielmo Zehender, PhD, Assistant Professor, L. Sacco Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via GB Grassi 74, 20157 Milano, Italy. gianguglielmo.zehender@unimi.it
Author contributions: Zehender G, Tanzi E, Ciccozzi M and Galli M wrote the paper; Ebranati E, Gabanelli E, Sorrentino C and Lo Presti A made the analyses and prepared the figures.
Telephone: +39-2-50319770 Fax: +39-2-50319768
ISSN:1007-9327
2219-2840
2219-2840
DOI:10.3748/wjg.v20.i24.7622