Isolation and genome sequencing of hepatitis E virus genotype 1 imported from India to Japan

Abstract

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) is a causative agent of viral hepatitis E. In Japan, HEV genotype 3 (G3) and G4 are detected predominantly, while G1, mainly imported from countries in continental Asia, is rare. In the present study, we detected a G1 HEV strain from a patient who came to Japan from India. When cells of the PLC/PRF/5 line (subclone 4-21) were inoculated with a stool suspension from this patient, an accumulation of HEV RNA was observed in the spent culture medium, indicating that HEV had been isolated successfully from this specimen. A nearly complete HEV genome was obtained by amplification via RT-PCR. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the newly isolated HEV strain, designated 9HE36c, belongs to subtype 1g of HEV G1.