Analysis of hepatitis C virus isolates among healthy blood donors and drug addicts in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates obtained from 25 anti-HCV antibody-positive healthy blood donors and 29 drug addicts in Chiang Mai, Thailand, were analyzed. HCV RNA was detected in 23 blood donor samples (92%) and 24 drug addict blood samples (83%) by PCR for a portion of the NS5 region. Subtype analysis revealed that HCV type 3a (HCV-3a) was the prevailing subtype (30%), which was followed in prevalence by HCV-1a (21%), -1b (13%), -3b (13%), and -6a (2%). Six (13%) of the 47 isolates showed low sequence similarities with known types and subtypes. The sequence variants could be grouped into four branches in a molecular evolutionary phylogenetic tree.
Apichartpiyakul
C
C
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Thailand.
Chittivudikarn
C
C
Miyajima
H
H
Homma
M
M
Hotta
H
H
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D001782:Blood Donors; D015897:Comorbidity; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology