title: [Nucleotide sequence analysis for high variance region of hepatitis C virus in patients with hemodialysis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the route of transmission for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients on hemodialysis (HD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Nucleotide sequence of high variance region (HVR) of HCV was analyzed with nucleotide sequencing technique in 15 HD patients, and its homology was compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of HCV HVR in 15 HD patients showed that their homologies in isolates 8, 12 and 14 reached 97.50%, 95.00% in isolates 4, 5 and 10, and more than 80.00% in isolates 1, 3 - 8 and 10 - 14. Clinical data showed that all these patients were hemodialyzed in the same room with the same HD machine. Isolates 2 and all others were 61.25% - 66.25% in homology, and 57.50% - 67.50% in isolates 9 and all others, and both the patients had histories of large-quantity blood transfusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Blood transfusion was the primary risk factor for HCV infection in HD patients, but iatrogenic transmission of HCV through HD environment could also exist.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence; D003428:Cross Infection; D005260:Female; D006436:Hemodialysis Units, Hospital; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D065227:Transfusion Reaction