Sequence variation in the hypervariable region 1 of hepatitis C virus and posttransplantation recurrent hepatitis.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) shows remarkable genetic variation in both populations and individuals, in whom it circulates as quasispecies (QS). Sequence variation within an infected host has adaptive significance and reflects the modes and intensity of selection mechanisms operating on the virus. We investigated the sequence diversity of hypervariable region 1 of HCV in liver transplant recipients and correlated it with the recurrence of hepatitis.