Genetic variation of hepatitis C virus in a cohort of injection heroin users in Wuhan, China.
Since the majority of heroin abusers use injection as the primary route of admission, heroin abuse contributes significantly to the transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV). We determined HCV infection and its genotype distribution among injection heroin users in Wuhan, the largest city in the central China. Eight hundred seventy-eight (84%) out of 1046 serum specimens from the injection drug users were positive for HCV antibody. Out of randomly selected 122 specimens positive for HCV antibody, seventy-eight (64%) had detectable HCV RNA with genotype 6a as the predominant strain (50%), followed by 3b (32.2%), 1a (8.1%), 1b (6.5%), and 3a (3.2%). HCV RNA levels in male heroin users were significantly higher (P=0.013) than those in the female subjects. Although there was no significant difference in HCV RNA levels among the specimens positive for HCV 6a and 1a/1b, the samples with 6a or 1a/1b contained higher levels of HCV RNA than the specimens positive for HCV 3b (P=0.019, P=0.012, respectively). These findings indicate that there is a high prevalence of HCV infection with genotypes 6a and 3b as predominated strains among injection heroin users in Wuhan, China.
Peng
Jin-Song
JS
Wuhan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan, PR China.
Wang
Xu
X
Liu
Man-Qing
MQ
Zhou
Dun-Jin
DJ
Gong
Jie
J
Xu
Han-Ming
HM
Chen
Jian-Ping
JP
Zhu
Hong-Hao
HH
Zhou
Wang
W
Ho
Wen-Zhe
WZ
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012737:Sex Factors; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins