HCV Genotypes in Haemodialysis Units: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Background: Human enterovirus 71 (HEV71) is a common aetiology of hand-foot-and-mouth-disease (HFMD) where it occasionally causes CNS illnesses. In 1997, Sarawak experienced a HEV71-associated HFMD outbreak with 34 deaths reported. Following the outbreak, a prospective HFMD surveillance study showed that HE71-associated HFMD outbreaks occurred in Sarawak every three years, each caused predominantly by different genogroups of HEV71; genogroup-B3 in 1997, genogroup-B4 in 2000, and genogroup-B5 in 2003 This study attempts to investigate the circulation of HEV71 in between the three-year cycle outbreaks before an expected outbreak in 2006 in Sarawak.Methods: Three communities, Villages-A, B and C, were selected based on their locations with reference to the Rajang river, the epicenter of the 1997 outbreak. Stool samples were collected through 2 visits; the first collection in mid-2005 and the second in February 2006. Filter-sterilized samples were inoculated into rhabdomyosarcoma and QB1-293A cells. Virus cultures were observed for cytopathic effect (CPE) daily for 14-days. Upon blind-passage, cultures without CPE were considered negative. Reverse-transcription-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) on positive cultures was done using primers for partial VP1 previously described by Oberste et al. RT-PCR positive products were subjected to DNA sequencing and molecular analysis.Results: During the first collection, 106 samples were collected from Village-A, 428 from Village-B and 183 from Village-C. The second collection yielded 88 samples from Village-A, 410 from Village-B and 177 from Village-C. While, no virus was isolated from the first collection of Village-A, 4% of samples from Village-B and 6% of samples from Village-C yielded enteroviruses respectively. From the second collection, 8% of samples from Village-A, 6.8% from Village-B and 4.5% from Village-C, yielded enteroviruses. The viruses isolated were identified mostly as echovirus-6 (E6), E7, E19, coxsackievirus-A (CA) 20, CA21, CA24 and coxsackievirus-B (CB) 4.Conclusion: HEV71 was not circulating in sampled villages but enteroviruses species B and C were.

Biodynamics of Hepatitis C Virus in Haemodialysis Patients in Pahang

“…A limited number of articles were found in the surveyed scientific literature that looked into the biodynamics of HCV infection in general and in HD patients in particular. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Fabrizi et al 7 studied the biological dynamics of viral load in patients infected with hepatitis C virus associated with end-stage renal diseases who were undergoing maintenance haemodialysis, where the serum HCV RNA was measured monthly for 13 months using branched DNA signal amplification assay. He found that larger fluctuations in HCV RNA levels occurred in patients with persistent than in those with intermittent HCV viraemia.…”