title: Molecular characterization of hepatitis c virus in multi-transfused Colombian patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects 170 million persons worldwide and is a public health problem. Considering that HCV is principally transmitted by exposure to infected blood, multi-transfused patients constitute one of the most important risk groups in developing countries. To explore the dynamics of this infection in Colombia, we performed a study to determine the genotypes of HCV in a cohort of multi-transfused patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum samples from patients positive for anti-HCV were evaluated for HCV RNA by nested-PCR of the 5'untranslated region (5'UTR). Viral genotype was determined by RFLP and/or automated sequencing. HCV subtype 1b was found in eight cases (66.7%) and subtype 1a in two cases (16.7%); seven isolates of subtype 1b were obtained from patients who had received the first transfusion before 1986. Either genotypes 2b (8.3%) or 3a (8.3%) were found in the remaining positive specimens.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first HCV genotyping study developed in multi-transfused patients in Colombia where HCV subtype 1b was the most prevalent. The mutation G235A in the 5'UTR of three isolates generated an additional restriction site and an RFLP pattern different from those previously described for genotype 1.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Gastrohepatologia, Sede de Investigacion Universitaria (SIU), Universidad de Antioquia, Carrera 53 # 61-30, Laboratorio 434, Torre 2, Medellin, Colombia.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: di Filippo
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cortes-Mancera
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beltran
authors.forename: Maria Patricia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Arbelaez
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jaramillo
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Restrepo
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Maria-Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Navas
mesh_terms: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D044967:Serum / Q000821:virology; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
chemical_list: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D012367:RNA, Viral