Phylogenetic analysis of the 5' untranslated region of HCV from cirrhotic patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), a small, single-stranded RNA virus with a 9.6 kb genome, is one of the most common causes of liver diseases. Sequencing of the 5' untranslated region (UTR) is usually used for HCV genotyping, but it is less important in numerous subtypes due to its scarce sequence variations.