Unique NS5b Hepatitis C Virus Gene Sequence Consensus Database Is Essential for Standardization of Genotype Determinations in Multicenter Epidemiological Studies

Abstract
A multicenter study of NS5b hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype determination involving 12 laboratories demonstrates that any laboratory with expertise in sequencing techniques would be able to provide a reliable HCV genotype for clinical and epidemiological purposes as long as they are provided a consensus reference sequence database.