Enigmatic origin of hepatitis B virus: An ancient travelling companion or a recent encounter?

doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i24.7622

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Jun 28, 2014 (publication date) through May 7, 2024

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World Journal of Gastroenterology

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1007-9327

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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

Topic Highlight

World J Gastroenterol. Jun 28, 2014; 20(24): 7622-7634
Published online Jun 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i24.7622

Enigmatic origin of hepatitis B virus: An ancient travelling companion or a recent encounter?

Gianguglielmo Zehender, Erika Ebranati, Elena Gabanelli, Chiara Sorrentino, Alessandra Lo Presti, Elisabetta Tanzi, Massimo Ciccozzi, Massimo Galli

Gianguglielmo Zehender, Erika Ebranati, Elena Gabanelli, Chiara Sorrentino, Massimo Galli, L. Sacco Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy

Alessandra Lo Presti, Massimo Ciccozzi, Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, Italy

Elisabetta Tanzi, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy

Author contributions: Zehender G, Tanzi E, Ciccozzi M and Galli M wrote the paper; Ebranati E, Gabanelli E, Sorrentino C and Lo Presti A made the analyses and prepared the figures.

Correspondence to: Gianguglielmo Zehender, PhD, Assistant Professor, L. Sacco Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via GB Grassi 74, 20157 Milano, Italy. gianguglielmo.zehender@unimi.it

Telephone: +39-2-50319770 Fax: +39-2-50319768

Received: October 29, 2013
Revised: January 28, 2014
Accepted: March 12, 2014
Published online: June 28, 2014

Core Tip

Core tip: This review describes the main evidence concerning the global phylodynamics and phylogeography of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes and subgenotypes, concentrating particularly on the ubiquitous A and D, and the more restricted E and F genotypes. The lack of consensus on the HBV evolutionary rate make it difficult to reconstruct the timescale of the virus origin. In order to reconcile the possibility of a long evolution and the high evolutionary rate in recent populations, we propose the hypothesis that HBV evolutionary rates are time dependent, and are influenced by the different population dynamics of the viral genotypes.