Hepatitis A virus: Host interactions, molecular epidemiology and evolution

•We discuss the most relevant features of the HAV-host interface.•Up-to-date information regarding the global molecular epidemiology of HAV is presented.•The unique molecular characteristics participating in the molecular evolution of HAV are also described. Infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV) is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Infection, genetics and evolution genetics and evolution, 2014-01, Vol.21, p.227-243
Main Authors: Vaughan, Gilberto, Goncalves Rossi, Livia Maria, Forbi, Joseph C., de Paula, Vanessa S., Purdy, Michael A., Xia, Guoliang, Khudyakov, Yury E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Disease Outbreaks - prevention & control
Genetic relatedness
Genetic Variation
Genotype
Hepatitis A - epidemiology
Hepatitis A - transmission
Hepatitis A - virology
Hepatitis A virus
Hepatitis A virus - classification
Hepatitis A virus - genetics
High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
Host factors
Host-Pathogen Interactions
Humans
Molecular epidemiology
Molecular evolution
Phylogeny
Phylogeography
RNA, Viral
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Summary:•We discuss the most relevant features of the HAV-host interface.•Up-to-date information regarding the global molecular epidemiology of HAV is presented.•The unique molecular characteristics participating in the molecular evolution of HAV are also described. Infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV) is the commonest viral cause of liver disease and presents an important public health problem worldwide. Several unique HAV properties and molecular mechanisms of its interaction with host were recently discovered and should aid in clarifying the pathogenesis of hepatitis A. Genetic characterization of HAV strains have resulted in the identification of different genotypes and subtypes, which exhibit a characteristic worldwide distribution. Shifts in HAV endemicity occurring in different parts of the world, introduction of genetically diverse strains from geographically distant regions, genotype displacement observed in some countries and population expansion detected in the last decades of the 20th century using phylogenetic analysis are important factors contributing to the complex dynamics of HAV infections worldwide. Strong selection pressures, some of which, like usage of deoptimized codons, are unique to HAV, limit genetic variability of the virus. Analysis of subgenomic regions has been proven useful for outbreak investigations. However, sharing short sequences among epidemiologically unrelated strains indicates that specific identification of HAV strains for molecular surveillance can be achieved only using whole-genome sequences. Here, we present up-to-date information on the HAV molecular epidemiology and evolution, and highlight the most relevant features of the HAV-host interactions.
ISSN:1567-1348
1567-7257
DOI:10.1016/j.meegid.2013.10.023