Molecular characterization of hepatitis C and E viruses.

The molecular features of each of the major viruses of non-A, non-B hepatitis, namely hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are briefly described. The organization of the genome of each of these viruses is discussed and compared to those of other related or distantly related viruses that contain single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genomes. HCV has been tentatively classified as a separate genus within the Flaviviridae, whereas HEV has been loosely associated with caliciviruses and subsequently assigned to the Caliciviridae, although it does possess unique genetic features not found in other caliciviruses.