Molecular epidemiology and phylogeny of the emerging zoonotic virus Rocahepevirus: A global genetic analysis

This study conducted a global genetic analysis of Rocahepevirus, aiming to furnish comprehensive molecular insights and promote further research. We retrieved 817 Rocahepevirus sequences from the GenBank database through October 31, 2023, categorizing them according to research, sample collection area and date, genotype, host, and sequence length. Subsequently, we conducted descriptive epidemiological, phylogenetic evolutionary, and protein polymorphism (in length and identity) analyses on these sequences. Rocahepevirus genomes were identified across twenty-eight countries, predominantly in Asia (71.73%, 586/817) and Europe (26.44%, 216/817). The HEV-C1 dominates Rocahepevirus (77.2%, 631/817), while newly discovered Rocahepevirus genotypes (C3/C4/C5 and other unclassified genotypes) were primarily identified in Europe (25/120) and China (91/120). Muridae animals (72.5%, 592/817) serve as the primary hosts for Rocahepevirus, with other hosts encompassing species from the families Soricidae, Hominidae, Mustelidae, and Cricetidae. Additionally, Rocahepevirus genomes (C1 genotype) were identified in sewage samples recently. The phylogenetic evolution of Rocahepevirus exhibits considerable variation. Specifically, HEV-C1 can be classified into at least six genetic groups (G1 to G6), with human HEV-C1 distributed across multiple evolutionary clades. The overall ORF1 and ORF2 amino acid sequence lengths were significantly different (P < 0.001) across Rocahepevirus genotypes. HEV...
Source: Infection, Genetics and Evolution - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Source Type: research