@article{mbs:/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-82-2-359, author = "Nakano, Tatsunori and Lu, Ling and Hu, Xiaolei and Mizokami, Masashi and Orito, Etsuro and Shapiro, Craig N. and Hadler, Stephan C. and Robertson, Betty H.", title = "Characterization of hepatitis B virus genotypes among Yucpa Indians in Venezuela", journal= "Journal of General Virology", year = "2001", volume = "82", number = "2", pages = "359-365", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-82-2-359", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-82-2-359", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1465-2099", type = "Journal Article", abstract = "The complete genome sequences of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from 12 HBV-infected Yucpa Indians of Venezuela, a group with highly endemic HBV, were amplified and sequenced. The 12 isolates were closely related to each other, with 98·6–100% nucleotide identity. A phylogenetic tree based on the complete genome indicated clearly that they were genotype F. Three individuals had evidence of infection with two different HBV deletion mutants. In two individuals, a three amino acid deletion was identified just prior to the ‘a’ determinant loop of the S region. A third individual was infected with virus that contained a complete core reading frame and a population that contained a deletion in the middle of the core region. These results indicate that genotype F HBV is present in the Venezuelan Yucpa Amerindians and the complete genome sequence allowed the identification of two unique deletion mutants in a limited set of samples.", }