title: Human pegivirus molecular epidemiology in Argentina: potential contribution of Latin American migration to genotype 3 circulation.
abstract: In order to determine the human pegivirus (HPgV) genotypic diversity in Argentina taking into account the potential contribution of human migration from neighboring countries, samples from 130 Argentine injecting drug users, 116 Argentine- and 50 immigrant-pregnant women were analyzed. HPgV RNA prevalence among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive injecting drug users was similar to HIV-positive pregnant women, as was the case when comparing HIV-negative injecting drug users and HIV-negative pregnant women (P > 0.05). HPgV genotype 2 (HPgV/2) was prevalent among both Argentine injecting drug users and pregnant women, in contrast to HPgV/3 observed among pregnant women from Latin American countries with predominant indigenous populations and who had experienced their initial sexual intercourses--and possibly their source of infection--in those countries (P < 0.01). In addition, HPgV vertical and horizontal transmission was proven by molecular analysis of E2 gene and construction of identity matrixes with epidemiologically non-related isolates. This study shows that human migration from neighboring Latin American countries with predominant indigenous populations might contribute to HPgV/3 circulation in Argentina.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology (IMPAM), University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Argentina.
authors.forename: Julieta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trinks
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maestri
authors.forename: Fabián
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oliveto
authors.forename: Noemí
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Del Pino
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weissenbacher
authors.forename: Oscar Walter
authors.initials: OW
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: José Raúl
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Oubiña
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D005838:Genotype; D063426:Human Migration; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011247:Pregnancy; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Argentina; human pegivirus (HPgV); injecting drug users; pregnant women; viral genotypes