Active hepatitis C infection and HCV genotypes prevalent among the IDUs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Rehman, Latifur; Ullah, Inayat; Ali, Ijaz; Khan, Imtiaz Ali; Iqbal, Aqib; Khan, Sanaullah; Khan, Sher Hayat; Zaman, K.; Khan, Najib Ullah; Swati, Zahoor Ahmad; Jahangiri, Anila Tariq

doi:10.1186/1743-422x-8-327

Cited by 22 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…World Health Organization and some other studies report HCV incident rates as 4.5% in Pakistan [29–31] while many recent studies report up to 15% HCV prevalence [11, 19, 32] corroborating our current analysis that suggests HCV seroprevalence as 17% in the major part of Pakistan. The current study is based on the presence of anti-HCV antibody in the serum, which does not necessarily represent the situation analysis of active viremia.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Estimation of hepatitis C prevalence in the Punjab province of Pakistan: A retrospective study on general population

et al. 2019

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Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are amongst the leading public health concerns in Pakistan with a high disease burden. Despite the availability of effective antiviral treatments in the country the disease burden in general population has not lowered. This could be attributed to the asymptomatic nature of this infection that results in lack of diagnosis until the late symptomatic stage. To better estimate and map HCV infections in the country a population-based analysis is necessary for an effective control of the infection. Methods Serologic samples of ~66,000 participants from all major cities of the Punjab province were tested for anti-HCV antibodies. The antibody-based seroprevalence was associated with socio-demographic variables including geographical region, age, gender and sex, and occupation. Results Overall serological response to HCV surface antigens was observed in over 17% of the population. Two of the districts were identified with significantly high prevalence in general population. Analysis by occupation showed significantly high prevalence in farmers (over 40%) followed by jobless and retired individuals, laborers and transporters. A significant difference in seroprevalence was observed in different age groups amongst sex and genders (male, female and transgender) with highest response in individuals of over 40 years of age. Moreover, most of the tested IDUs showed positive response for anti-HCV antibody. Conclusion This study represents a retrospective analysis of HCV infections in general population of the most populated province of Pakistan to identify socio-demographic groups at higher risk. Two geographical regions, Faisalabad and Okara districts, and an occupational group, farmers, were identified with significantly high HCV seroprevalence. These socio-demographic groups are the potential focused groups for follow-up studies on factors contributing to the high HCV prevalence in these groups towards orchestrating effective prevention, control and treatment.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Estimation of hepatitis C prevalence in the Punjab province of Pakistan: A retrospective study on general population

et al. 2019

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“…This might be due to low viral titer in the blood of the patients and absence of viral RNA in the serum samples or limitations of the present assay used, as this assay could detect only major genotypes 1 -3. Prevalence of genotype 2 ( Figure 1) has also been shown in studies (22), however, the percentage of existence of this particular genotype shown in this study is lower than previous studies (1,16,23).…”

Section: Percent Of Genotypessupporting

confidence: 70%

Real Time PCR Based Detection of Hepatitis C Virus Major Genotypes in Chronic HCV Patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Mahmood

Ali

Afridi

et al. 2018

Jundishapur J Microbiol

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Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been classified into seven major and more than 100 quasi species. To treat hepatitis C patients, it is important to determine the type of HCV as it has been linked with treatment duration and outcome. Objectives: The objective of the study was to find out HCV major genotypes using Taqman Probe based real time PCR assay and to compare prevalence of these with previous HCV genotype distribution using other methods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Methods: In this study, 100 actively infected patients were selected, referred by different physicians, and genotyping was done using Sacace real time PCR based assay. Results: Among 100 patients, the most abundant major genotype was HCV 3, followed by genotype 1 and the untypable while genotype 2 was scarcely found. Conclusions: The existing methodology confirmed the prevalence of major genotype 3, similar to that of previous methodologies and studies, however, with a slight shift of genotype 2 distribution.

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“…Type 3a was also the predominant strain detected among injecting drug users in Uzbekistan in 2006, followed by type 1b; clustering was noted for both types in the E1 and NS5B regions [Kurbanov et al, ]. However, type 2a was the predominant HCV genotype among 44 injecting drug users with detectable HCV viremia from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan, which borders Afghanistan [Ur‐Rehman et al, ]. Subtype 3a was the next most common, and nearly all (95%) participants reported lifetime needle sharing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hepatitis C genotype distribution and homology among geographically disparate injecting drug users in Afghanistan

Sanders‐Buell

Rutvisuttinunt

Todd

et al. 2013

Journal of Medical Virology

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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence is high among injecting drug users in Afghanistan, but transmission dynamics are poorly understood. Samples from HCV-infected injecting drug users were sequenced to determine circulating genotypes and potential transmission linkages. Serum samples were obtained from injecting drug user participants in Hirat, Jalalabad, and Mazar-i-Sharif between 2006 and 2008 with reactive anti-HCV rapid tests. Specimens with detected HCV viremia were amplified and underwent sequence analysis. Of 113 samples evaluated, 25 samples (35.2%) were only typeable in NS5B, nine samples (12.7%) were only typeable in CE1, and 37 samples (52.1%) were genotyped in both regions. Of those with typeable HCV, all were Afghan males with a mean age of 31.1 (standard deviation [SD] ± 8.0) years and mean duration of injecting of 3.9 (SD ± 4.3) years. Most reported residence outside Afghanistan in the last decade (90.1%) and prior incarceration (76.8%). HCV genotypes detected were: 1a, (35.2%, n = 25), 3a (62.0%, n = 44), and 1b (2.8%, n = 2). Cluster formation was detected in NS5B and CE1 and were generally from within the same city. All participants within clusters reported being a refugee in Iran compared to 93.5% of those outside clusters. Only 22.2% (4/11) of those within clusters had been refugees in Pakistan and these four individuals had also been refugees in Iran. Predominance of genotype 3a and the association between HCV viremia and having been a refugee in Iran potentially reflects migration between Afghanistan and Iran among IDUs from Mazar-i-Sharif and Hirat and carry implications for harm reduction programs for this migratory population.

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Active hepatitis C infection and HCV genotypes prevalent among the IDUs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Cited by 22 publications

References 15 publications

Estimation of hepatitis C prevalence in the Punjab province of Pakistan: A retrospective study on general population

Estimation of hepatitis C prevalence in the Punjab province of Pakistan: A retrospective study on general population

Real Time PCR Based Detection of Hepatitis C Virus Major Genotypes in Chronic HCV Patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Hepatitis C genotype distribution and homology among geographically disparate injecting drug users in Afghanistan

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