title: Correlation of viral loads with HCV genotypes: higher levels of virus were revealed among blood donors infected with 6a strains.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both HCV genotypes and viral loads are predictors of therapeutic outcomes among patients treated with α-interferon plus ribavirin; however, such correlation has only been studied for genotypes 1, 2, and 3 but not for genotype 6.
  
  
  RESULTS
  299 voluntary blood donors were recruited who were HCV viremic. Their mean age was 31.8; the male/female ratio was 3.82 (225/59). The viral loads of HCV were measured using the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan test (CAP/CTM) while HCV genotypes were determined by direct sequencing the partial NS5B region. HCV genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 6 were determined in 48.9%, 8.7%, 12.3%, and 30.1% of the donors, respectively, and the levels of mean viral loads in genotype 1 and 6 significantly higher than that of 2 and 3 (P<0.001). As a whole, the viral loads in male donors were higher than in female (P = 0.006). Moreover, the donors' gender and HCV genotypes are independently correlated with the measured viral loads.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HCV genotype 1 and 6 had significantly higher viral loads than genotype 2 and 3.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Rong
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Junzhi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huaping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Jieting
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jinyan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ru
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xuemei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Tai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yueyue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Guoquan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yongshui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Kenrad E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D019562:Viral Load