%0 Journal Article %A Davidson, F. %A Simmonds, P. %A Ferguson, J. C. %A Jarvis, L. M. %A Dow, B. C. %A Follett, E. A. C. %A Seed, C. R. G. %A Krusius, T. %A Lin, C. %A Medgyesi, G. A. %A Kiyokawa, H. %A Olim, G. %A Duraisamy, G. %A Cuypers, T. %A Saeed, A. A. %A Teo, D. %A Conradie, J. %A Kew, M. C. %A Lin, M. %A Nuchaprayoon, C. %A Ndimbie, O. K. %A Yap, P. L. %T Survey of major genotypes and subtypes of hepatitis C virus using RFLP of sequences amplified from the 5′ non-coding region %D 1995 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 76 %N 5 %P 1197-1204 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-76-5-1197 %I Microbiology Society, %X A method is described for identifying different genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by restriction endonuclease cleavage of sequences amplified by PCR from the 5′ non-coding region. Using the enzymes HaeIII-RsaI and HinfI-MvaI, followed by cleavage with BstU1 or ScrFI, it was possible to identify and distinguish HCV genotypes 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5 and 6. The method was used to investigate the prevalence of these genotypes in 723 blood donors in 15 countries, the largest survey to date, and one which covered a wide range of geographical regions (Europe, America, Africa and Asia). These results, combined with a review of the existing literature, indicate the existence of several distinct regional patterns of HCV genotype distribution, and provide the framework for future detailed epidemiological investigations of HCV transmission. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-76-5-1197