The epidemic behavior of the hepatitis C virus.

Journal article

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading worldwide cause of liver disease. Here, we use a new model of HCV spread to investigate the epidemic behavior of the virus and to estimate its basic reproductive number from gene sequence data. We find significant differences in epidemic behavior among HCV subtypes and suggest that these differences are largely the result of subtype-specific transmission patterns. Our model builds a bridge between the disciplines of population genetics and mathematical epi...

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Authors: Pybus, O; Charleston, M; Gupta, S; Rambaut, A; Holmes, E

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Science (New York, N.Y.)
• Volume: 292
• Issue: 5525
• Pages: 2323-2325
• Publication date: 2001-06-01
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1058321
• EISSN: 1095-9203
• ISSN: 0036-8075
• Language: English
• Keywords: Epidemiology, Molecular; Substance Abuse, Intravenous; Genes, Viral; Models, Biological; Likelihood Functions; Humans; Phylogeny; Hepacivirus; Endemic Diseases; Hepatitis C; Population Dynamics; Prevalence