Evaluation of two hepatitis C virus genotyping assays based on the 5' untranslated region (UTR): the limitations of 5' UTR-based assays and the need for a supplementary sequencing-based approach

We evaluated two genotyping methodologies that characterize the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome. The limitations of these genotype assays need to be thoroughly evaluated, and sequencing-based approaches may be needed to complement these methods in clinical settings.