[Gene analysis of acute sporadic HEV in the southern areas of China]

Objective: To investigate the existing different gene sequences of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in the southern areas of China.
Methods: Eight acute-phase sera of sporadic patients with hepatitis E in Xiamen were tested by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Two cases of them were positive. The fifth passage culture of Guangzhou G93-2 strain of HEV was also detected by RT-PCR. The positive RT-PCR products underwent cloning and nucleotide sequencing.
Results: The homology of nucleotide and the amino acid between Xiamen X-S1 and Guangzhou G93-2 strain are 99.2% and 97.5%. The homology of nucleotide and the amino acid sequences of Xiamen strain and Guangzhou strain are 79.9% and 86.3% compared with the Burmese strain (Bur-121) and our country Xinjiang strain (87A), and are 77.4% and 86.3% against Mexican strain.
Conclusion: The results suggest that there is a different genotype of HEV in the southern areas of China.