title: Is 3 the new 1: perspectives on virology, natural history and treatment for hepatitis C genotype 3.
abstract: Affecting 2-3% of the world's population, hepatitis C is a common viral infection which is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Hepatitis C genotype 1 is the dominant viral genotype among Western patients. For the last 20 years, in the era of interferon-based therapy, it was far more difficult to treat relative to genotypes 2 and 3. Accordingly, a significant focus of research was on new antiviral agents for the dominant genotype 1 patient. Now, as promising specific treatments are being introduced for genotype 1, the attention of clinicians and researchers has turned back to the 50-70 million patients infected with a nongenotype 1 hepatitis C. Furthermore, after recent, larger randomized trials, we have realized that genotype 2 is truly interferon sensitive while genotype 3 patients are far less successful with therapy. In this fundamentally altered landscape, genotype 3 is now potentially the most difficult to treat genotype and an area of intense research for new drug development. Herein we review the virology, natural history and the treatment of genotype 3 hepatitis C.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Tapper
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Afdhal
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents
keywords: alisporivir; cirrhosis; hepatic steatosis; interferon; ribavirin; sofosbuvir