title: Genotyping of Canadian hepatitis C virus isolates by PCR.
abstract: We used PCR for hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotyping with type-specific primers from the core and NS5 genes. Type I was predominant in the general population (58% in blood donors) as well as in different risk groups, such as intravenous drug abusers (58%), blood transfusion recipients (64%), hemophiliacs (62%), and patients with HCV chronic liver disease (76%). Types II, III, and IV were less prevalent in Canada, being found in 10.92, 6.72, and 5.88% of the population, respectively. The type II core primer was not type specific and reacted with the majority of our type I HCV samples, suggesting a false-positive dual infection with two different genotypes (I and II). Digestion of these amplified type I and type II products with restriction endonuclease AccI proved to be very useful in the exclusion of false-positive dual type I and type II infections.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Viral Hepatitis, Bureau of Microbiology, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andonov
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Chaudhary
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific / Q000378:metabolism; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; C067488:GTMKAC-specific type II deoxyribonucleases