These higher values may be D-64131 attributed to the fast evolving characteristics of the genomic region that included three hypervariable regions. The tMRCA based on the NS5B analyses was 53 years. Likewise, similar evolutionary time scales were obtained for the E1/E2 region without HVR1, and the E1/E2 region with HVR1. Although the tMRCA will not be the same as the date of introduction, especially in a population at constant size, our analysis allow us to speculate that the possible introduction and transmission events in Wheelwright started at least 50 years ago. The molecular clock analyses give broadly similar results regardless of clock model and tree prior, with the exception of the BSP tree prior, which gives an intriguingly recent tMRCA, and faster substitution rates than the other analyses. The natural course of HCV infection comprises clinically silent periods in the most of the cases. Due to the inconspicuously nature of HCV infection, clinical manifestations of hepatic illness are often observed 20 to 30 years post-infection. However, in our case most of the hepatic illness were detected in patients older than 50 years and thus the results of the tMRCA from BSP model are at odds with epidemiological external data and could be confidently dismissed. It is possible that the underlying reason for the results could be attributed to the fact that the BSP model should be used only when the data are strongly informative about population history. BSP Mogroside-IIIA1 places the least amount of constraint upon the data; in contrast, the parametric models possibly require less informative data given that they incorporate stronger priors on the analysis. In summary, the HCV infection prevalence in Wheelwright is 4.9%. The phylogenetic analysis indicated a monophyletic origin for the HCV-1b epidemic. The tMRCA of the Wheelwright clade, the demographic model with constant population size, and the fact that the highest rate of infection was observed in elder people support the hypothesis that the HCV-1b introduction in Wheelwright initially occurred at least five decades ago, but were subsequently controlled, limiting further spread of the virus.