title: Spreading of hepatitis C virus subtypes 1a and 1b through the central region of Argentina.
abstract: The recent history of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) subtypes 1a and 1b in the central region of Argentina is hypothesized by phylogeographic reconstruction using coalescent based Bayesian analyses. Direct partial E2 sequences from HCV 1a and 1b infected patients attending different health-care centers of the country were analyzed. The inferred date of the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) for HCV-1a was: 1962 (between 1943 and 1977) and for HCV-1b was earlier: 1929 (between 1895 and 1953). Diverse ancestral populations were inferred from both subtypes in Córdoba and in Buenos Aires cities and after that, HCV spread within and between larger cities and to other smaller cities. The analyses suggested that HCV-1b was dispersed first and it is currently in a stationary phase whereas HCV-1a was dispersed latter and it is still in a growth phase. Finally, as it was observed in the developed countries, while the transmission of HCV-1b appears to have been somehow prevented, the HCV-1a may still represent a concern in the public health. Further work should be carried out to address their current transmission rate (and its main transmission route) in the Argentinean population.
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Virología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Andrés Carlos Alberto
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Culasso
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Virología Dr. José Maria Vanella, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: Adrián
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farías
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Virología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Federico Alejandro
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Di Lello
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Virología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cellular Biology and Retroviruses Laboratory, Hospital de Pediatría S.A.M.I.C. "Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan", Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Marcelo Darío
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Golemba
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Virología Dr. José Maria Vanella, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ré
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Virología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barbini
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Virología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address: rcampos@ffyb.uba.ar.
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Campos
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D005838:Genotype; D005843:Geography; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000266:history / Q000821:virology*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C091015:glycoprotein E2, Hepatitis C virus
keywords: Argentina; Epidemiology; Hepatitis C virus; Phylogeography