title: Molecular characterization of hepatitis C virus genotype 4 sequences in HIV-coinfected patients from Argentina.
abstract: The prevalence of hepatitis C virus genotype 4 (HCV-4) is increasing in different parts of the World but in Latin America the data are still scarce. We aimed to characterize HCV-4 isolates from 383 HIV-coinfected patients in Argentina. Sequence analyses were based on the non-structural 5B region of HCV. Results from 18 patients indicated a genetic heterogeneity that involved three genotype 4 subtypes. Sequences were ascribed to subtype 4d (67%), 4a (22%), and 4m (11%). In spite of different sources of transmission were defined among patients, no statistical association was found with the genotype 4 subtype. The scenario is also compatible with multiple importation of the epidemic and there is no evidence for transmission-specific clusters or network-like transmission of HCV-4. This HCV-4 does not represent a recent introduction in Argentina, it circulates in all transmission groups and its presence is increasing among HIV-infected patients.
authors.affiliation: Argentinean National Reference Center for AIDS, Microbiology Dept., School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bolcic
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Laufer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quarleri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry; D058872:Epidemics; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral