title: Morocco underwent a drift of circulating hepatitis C virus subtypes in recent decades.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates circulating in Morocco are poorly documented. To determine the subgenotype distribution of HCV in chronically infected patients, serum samples from 185 anti-HCV-positive patients were analyzed. Determination of the HCV genotype and subtype was performed by sequencing the 5'UTR, NS5B and core regions. According to the NS5B phylogeny, the HCV strains primarily belonged to subtypes 1b (75.2%), 2i (19.1%) and 2k (2.8%). Using a Bayesian approach, the mean date of appearance of the most recent common ancestor was estimated to be 1910 for HCV-1b and 1854 for HCV-2i. Although it is currently the most frequent genotype in Morocco and the dominant form in hepatocellular carcinoma, it thus appears that HCV-1b was introduced into the population subsequently to HCV-2i.
authors.affiliation: Virology Unit, Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Morocco, 1, Place Louis Pasteur, 20360 Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Ikram
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brahim
authors.forename: Abdelah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akil
authors.forename: El Mostafa
authors.initials: el M
authors.lastname: Mtairag
authors.forename: Régis
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pouillot
authors.forename: Abdelouhad El
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Malki
authors.forename: Salwa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nadir
authors.forename: Rhimou
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alaoui
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Njouom
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pineau
authors.forename: Sayeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ezzikouri
authors.forename: Soumaya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benjelloun
mesh_terms: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009018:Morocco / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
chemical_list: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C087036:NS-5 protein, hepatitis C virus; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase