Distribution of infecting hepatitis C virus genotypes in end-stage liver disease patients at a large American transplantation center.
The distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes was studied in 202 anti-HCV-positive liver transplant candidates with end-stage liver disease. HCV sequences were successfully amplified from 185 patients: In the first 100, the genotype was determined by direct sequencing in the NS5 region, and in the remaining 85, type-specific primers were used for genotyping. Eighty-five patients (46.0%) were infected with type 1a HCV strains, 52 (28.1%) with type 1b, 14 (7.6%) with type 2b, 13 (7.0%) with type 4, 5 (2.7%) with type 3a, 2 (1.1%) with type 2a, and 1 (0.5%) with type 2c. Thirteen HCV-positive patients (7.0%) could not be genotyped. The relatively low prevalence of genotype 1b in this population of end-stage liver disease patients speaks against postulated higher pathogenicity of this genotype.
Vargas
H E
HE
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Pittsburgh Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-2582, USA.
Wang
L F
LF
Laskus
T
T
Poutous
A
A
Lee
R
R
Demetris
A
A
Dodson
F
F
Casavilla
A
A
Fung
J
J
Gayowski
T
T
Singh
N
N
Marino
I
I
Rakela
J
J
D000328:Adult; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D012367:RNA, Viral