Cloning and sequencing of RNA of hepatitis delta virus isolated from human serum

Abstract

The RNA of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) 1682 nucleotides long, has been cloned from a human serum isolate. Comparison with the three complete published sequences shows that a region of the HDV genome, between positions 620 and 1350, which contains sequences involved in replication and possibly pathogenicity, is highly conserved.