The Karachi Institute of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (KIBGE), University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.
Virol J. 2012 Aug 15;9:162. doi: 10.1186/1743-422X-9-162.
In spite of a high occurrence of Hepatitis Delta in the province of Sindh in Pakistan, no genetic study of Hepatitis Delta virus (HDV) isolates from this region was carried out. The aim of this study is to analyze the genetic proximity within local HDV strains, and relationship with other clades of HDV, using phylogenetic analysis.
Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences of the Hepatitis Delta Antigen (HDAg) R0 region obtained in this study, showed considerable diversity among the local strains with a potential subgroup formation within clade I. The multiple sequence alignment of predicted amino acids within clade I showed many uncommon amino acid substitutions within some conserved regions that are crucial for replication and assembly of HDV.
The studied strains showed a range of genetic diversity within HDV clade I. There is clustering of sequences into more than one group, along with formation of potential subgroup within clade I. Clustering shows the genetic closeness of strains and indicates a common origin of spread of HDV infection. Further phylogeny-based studies may provide more information about subgroup formation within clade I and may be used as an effective tool in checking and/or preventing the spread of hepatitis D virus infection in this region.
尽管巴基斯坦信德省乙型肝炎 Delta 病毒（HDV）的发生率很高，但尚未对该地区的 HDV 分离株进行遗传研究。本研究旨在通过系统进化分析来分析本地 HDV 株的遗传关系及其与其他 HDV 谱系的关系。
本研究获得的乙型肝炎 Delta 抗原（HDAg）R0 区核苷酸序列的系统进化分析显示，本地株之间存在相当大的多样性，在 I 型簇内可能形成亚群。I 型簇内预测氨基酸的多重序列比对显示，在一些对 HDV 复制和组装至关重要的保守区域内存在许多不常见的氨基酸取代。
研究的菌株在 HDV I 型簇内显示出一定程度的遗传多样性。序列聚类成多个组，同时在 I 型簇内形成潜在的亚群。聚类显示了菌株的遗传关系，并表明 HDV 感染的传播具有共同的起源。进一步的基于系统发育的研究可能提供有关 I 型簇内亚群形成的更多信息，并可作为在该地区检查和/或预防乙型肝炎 D 病毒感染传播的有效工具。
