INFECTIOUS HEPATITIS E VIRUS GENOTYPE 3 OR 1 RECOMBINANTS

摘要

The invention relates to the discovery of an HEV strain from a chronically infected patient. The virus grow unusually well in numerous cell cultures. Thus, the invention provides cell cultures, vectors, and vaccine compositions based on the virus. The invention relates, in part, on the identification of a new strain of HEV genotype 3 virus. Strain Kernow-C1 (genotype 3) of HEV, which was isolated from a chronically infected patient, was used to identify human, pig and deer cell lines permissive for infection. Adaptation of the Kernow-C 1 strain to growth in human hepatoma cells selected for a rare virus recombinant that contained an insertion of 174 ribonucleotides (58 amino acids) of a human ribosomal protein gene and additional mutations.