Hepatitis C virus population analysis of a single-source nosocomial outbreak reveals an inverse correlation between viral load and quasispecies complexity.
The features of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) quasispecies within an envelope segment including the hypervariable region 1 were analysed at an early time point post-infection in seven patients that acquired HCV from a single common donor during a nosocomial outbreak. The grouping of patients according to viral load was reflected in the structure of the quasispecies. A higher viral load correlated with the presence of a predominant HCV genome and a corresponding lower quasispecies complexity. The quasispecies complexity itself was not correlated with HCV clearance or persistence. Thus, the relationship between an intrapatient HCV quasispecies and the clinical outcome of an HCV infection is more complex than previously anticipated.
Mas
Antonio
A
Departamento de Ciencias Experimentales y de la Salud, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Dr. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Ulloa
Encarna
E
Departamento de Ciencias Experimentales y de la Salud, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Dr. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Bruguera
Miguel
M
Hepatología, Instituto de Enfermedades Digestivas, Hospital Clinic, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Furčić
Ivana
I
Hepatología, Instituto de Enfermedades Digestivas, Hospital Clinic, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Garriga
Damià
D
Departamento de Ciencias Experimentales y de la Salud, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Dr. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Fábregas
Silvia
S
Hospital Figueres, 17600 Girona, Spain.
Andreu
David
D
Departamento de Ciencias Experimentales y de la Salud, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Dr. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Saiz
Juan Carlos
JC
Departamento de Biotecnología, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Díez
Juana
J
Departamento de Ciencias Experimentales y de la Salud, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Dr. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000821:virology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019562:Viral Load