Recombinant hepatitis C virus in experimentally infected chimpanzees

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Abstract
Genetic recombination between different strains of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was investigated in three chimpanzees inoculated experimentally with factor VIII concentrate containing HCV subgenotypes 1a, 1b, 2b and 3a. A 750 bp long fragment from the HCV envelope region was amplified by RT-PCR and quasispecies were isolated by plasmid cloning. Nucleotide sequences derived from isolated quasispecies were screened for the presence of inter-subgenotypic recombination by using sequence analysis. Recombination between HCV subgenotype 1a and 1b was found in two animals; each recombinant variant differed by location of predicted crossover region or order of subgenotype 1a and 1b sequences.