Hepatitis C virus genotypes: An investigation of type-specific differences in geographic origin and disease

Abstract

Because of the nucleotide sequence diversity of different isolates of hepatitis C virus, it has become important to clarify whether distinct genotypes of hepatitis C virus vary with respect to pathogenicity, infectivity, response to antiviral therapy and geographic clustering. We assessed nucleotide sequence variability in the 5' noncoding region of hepatitis C virus, using restriction enzymes to analyze the distribution of hepatitis C virus genotypes, in 80 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Genotypes were correlated with demographic, clinical and histological features. Thirty-seven patients were infected with type 1, 10 had type 2 and 8 had type 3, and another 23 were infected with a new distinct hepatitis C virus type now classified as type 4. Two were infected with variants whose classification are uncertain. Types 1, 2 and 3 were found in patients from the United Kingdom, southern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. Nineteen of 23 type 4 genotype isolates were from Middle Eastern patients, compared with 0 of 37 type 1 isolates (p < 0.001). Of 21 Middle Eastern patients, 19 (90.4%) had type 4 hepatitis C virus (p = 0.001, odds ratio = 9). We found no significant difference between the mean ages or mean serum aminotransferase concentrations between the various types. Types 1, 2, 3 and 4 were found in patients with mild-to-moderate disease or severe disease. However, 21 of 29 (72.4%) patients with type 1 who underwent liver biopsy had severe chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma histologically; 8 had mild or moderate chronic hepatitis without cirrhosis (p = 0.03, odds ratio = 2.6).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Distribution Pattern of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes and Correlation with Viral Load and Risk Factors in Chronic Positive Patients

“…HCV genotypes are widely distributed throughout the world and their distribution varies according to the geographical region [35,36]. Genotypes 1 and 2 are mainly found in Europe and North America, with the exception of some endemic strains found in West Africa [37,38], whereas the other genotypes are relatively restricted to certain geographic regions of Africa and the Middle East [39,40,41,42], with a particular prevalence of genotype 6 in some south-east Asian countries like Hong Kong and Vietnam [43,44].…”

Candidiasis and other oral mucosal lesions during and after interferon therapy for HCV-related chronic liver diseases

“…HCV RNA was analyzed in serum by quantitative PCR assay (COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR v 2.0 Test, COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS Taq-Man HCV Test, Roche Molecular Systems, New Jersey, US) [29,30]. HCV genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction assay, using a mixture of primers for the subtype, as reported previously [31]. Ultrasonographic examination was performed on all patients in order to investigate the shape of the liver and lesions occupying the liver.…”

Age and Gender Distribution of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes in the Metropolitan Area of Naples

“…The distribution of HCV genotypes varies significantly with geography [6,7,8]; genotypes 1, 2 and 3 are found throughout the world whereas the other genotypes are relatively restricted to certain geographic regions of Africa, Asia and the Middle East [9,10,11]. In particular, genotype 4 is prevalent in north and central Africa and in the Middle East [12,13,14], genotype 5 prevails in South Africa [15] and in some areas of central France [16], and genotype 6 is frequent in the Far East, especially in China [17,18,19].…”