@article{46204c6d4ac9469c8a981f3ded419b89,
title = "Reconstruction of the origin and dispersal of the worldwide dominant Hepatitis B Virus subgenotype D1",
abstract = "Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV-D1 is the dominant subgenotype in the Mediterranean basin, Eastern Europe, and Asia. However, little is currently known about its evolutionary history and spatio-temporal dynamics. We use Bayesian phylodynamic inference to investigate the temporal history of HBV-D1, for which we calibrate the molecular clock using ancient sequences, and reconstruct the viral global spatial dynamics based, for the first time, on full-length publicly available HBV-D1 genomes from a wide range of sampling dates. We pinpoint the origin of HBV subgenotype D1 before the current era (BCE) in Turkey/Anatolia. The spatial reconstructions reveal global viral transmission with a high degree of mixing. By combining modern-day and ancient sequences, we ensure sufficient temporal signal in HBV-D1 data to enable Bayesian phylodynamic inference using a molecular clock for time calibration. Our results shed light on the worldwide HBV-D1 epidemics and suggest that this originally Middle Eastern virus significantly affects more distant countries, such as those in mainland Europe.",
keywords = "Bayesian inference, D1, full genome, HBV, MCMC, phylodynamics, temporal signal",
author = "Trov{\~a}o, {N{\'i}dia Sequeira} and Marijn Thijssen and Bram Vrancken and Pineda-Pe{\~n}a, {Andrea Clemencia} and Thomas Mina and Samad Amini-Bavil-Olyaee and Philippe Lemey and Guy Baele and Pourkarim, {Mahmoud Reza}",
note = "Funding Information: N.S.T. and P.L. were supported by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme [FP7/2007-2013] under Grant Agreement number 278433-PREDEMICS. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 725422 - ReservoirDOCS). MT is a PhD fellow at the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium, grant number 1S47118N). A.-C.P.-P. was supported by European Funds through grant 'Bio-Molecular and Epidemiological Surveillance of HIV Transmitted Drug Resistance, Hepatitis Co- Infections and Ongoing Transmission Patterns in Europe' (BEST HOPE) (project funded through HIVERA: Harmonizing Integrating Vitalizing European Research on HIV/Aids, grant 249697); by Funda{\c c}{\~a}o para a Cie{\~n}cia e Tecnologia for funds to GHTMUID/ Multi/04413/2013; by the Migrant HIV project (financed by FCT: PTDC/DTP-EPI/7066/2014; and by Gilead Ǵenese HIVLatePresenters. B.V. was supported by a postdoctoral grant (12U7121N) of the FWO (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Vlaanderen). G.B. acknowledges support from the Interne Fondsen KU Leuven/ Internal Funds KU Leuven under grant agreement C14/18/094 and the Research Foundation - Flanders ('Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Vlaanderen', G0E1420N, G098321N). This work was supported by the Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds KU Leuven (BOF) No. OT/14/115. This work was supported by public grants. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Author(s).",
year = "2022",
doi = "10.1093/ve/veac028",
language = "English",
volume = "8",
journal = "Virus evolution",
issn = "2057-1577",
publisher = "Oxford University Press",
number = "1",
}