Comparative Genotype Analysis of Hepatitis A Virus: Two One-Year Studies in South Korea in 2002 and 2011

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) positive stool samples were collected from acute hepatitis A patients during the two studyperiods of 2002 and 2011 in Seoul, South Korea, and their genetic variability was determined. From a total of 79specimens, the nucleotide sequences of the VP1 and 2A junction were successfully amplified in 27 (34.2%) samplesand subjected to sequence analysis. Genetically, there was a dramatic change in HAV subgenotypes from IA to IIIA duringthe past ten years. Sequence analysis identified that most strains belonged to genotype I, which is the main genotypeglobally. The subgenotype IA (93.3%, n=13/14) was the major subgenotype in 2002, whereas the subgenotype IIIA(69.2%, n=9/13) was predominant in 2011. Interestingly, a IIIA strain was identified from a patient who had a history oftravel to India in 2002. The finding presented provides new insight into the genetic shift of circulating HAVs in SouthKorea. KCI Citation Count: 0