Group 5: GBV-C/HGV isolates from South Africa

Recent evidence suggests that phylogenetic analysis of the 5'NCR may not always provide an accurate guide to the relationship of complete genome sequences. In their thorough analysis of 33 epidemiologically distinct complete or near complete genomic sequences of GBV-C/HGV, Smith et al. provided evidence of the existence of four major geographically distinct phylogenetic groups that were equally divergent from the chimpanzee isolate, GBV-C sub(trop). Group 1 included isolates from Ghana, West Africa, and a single Japanese isolate; Group 2 included isolates from Europe, North and South America, and Japan; Group 3 included isolates from Japan and China; and Group 4 included isolates from southeast Asia.