New Natural Intergenotypic (2/5) Recombinant of Hepatitis C Virus.

A 9.2-kb sequence from a hepatitis C virus (HCV) strain found in southwest France was compared to sequences from reference strains in HCV sequence databases. We found a recombinant virus with genotype 2 at the 5′ end and genotype 5 at the 3′ end. The crossover point was located between genes NS2 and NS3. Recombination between HCV genotypes must now be considered in studies on HCV epidemiology and evolution and in predictions of the virus response to antiviral therapy. Knowing the location of the recombination point may also be useful for constructing infectious chimeric viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]