title: Hepatitis C virus genotypes in a northeastern area of Brazil.
abstract: We used a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to obtain the genotypes of circulating hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients from a Gastro-Hepatology Unit in the city of Salvador (Bahia State) in northeastern Brazil. Viral RNA was detected in 83 (65.4%) of 127 anti-HCV seropositive serum samples. Positivity was significantly associated with alterations in levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.05). Genotyping of HCV was performed by RT-PCR using genotype-specific primers from the core region: 24.1% were infected with subtype 1a, 38.6% with 1b, 3.6% with 2, 21.7% with 3a, and 12.0% with a mixed genotype. There was no difference in genotype distribution when compared with results from other Brazilian locations. Surprisingly, the high frequency of genotype 3 in Brazilian samples continues to be different from that reported around the world and warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Patologia e Biologia Molecular, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paraná
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Berby
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kay
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trepó
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cotrim
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Lyra
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Reis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase