The epidemic dynamics of hepatitis C virus subtypes 4a and 4d in Saudi Arabia.
The relatedness between viral variants sampled at different locations through time can provide information pertinent to public health that cannot readily be obtained through standard surveillance methods. Here, we use virus genetic data to identify the transmission dynamics that drive the hepatitis C virus subtypes 4a (HCV4a) and 4d (HCV4d) epidemics in Saudi Arabia. We use a comprehensive dataset of newly generated and publicly available sequence data to infer the HCV4a and HCV4d evolutionary histories in a Bayesian statistical framework. We also introduce a novel analytical method for an objective assessment of the migration intensity between locations. We find that international host mobility patterns dominate over within country spread in shaping the Saudi Arabia HCV4a epidemic, while this may be different for the HCV4d epidemic. This indicates that the subtypes 4a and 4d burden can be most effectively reduced by combining the prioritized screening and treatment of Egyptian immigrants with domestic prevention campaigns. Our results highlight that the joint investigation of evolutionary and epidemiological processes can provide valuable public health information, even in the absence of extensive metadata information.
Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital &Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Alfaisal University School of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed A
AA
Al-Qahtani
KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Guy
G
Baele
Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital &Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Nisreen
N
Khalaf
Department of Biomathematics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.|Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Marc A
MA
Suchard
Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital &Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mashael R
MR
Al-Anazi
Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ayman A
AA
Abdo
Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Faisal M
FM
Sanai
Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital &Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Hamad I
HI
Al-Ashgar
Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital &Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed Q
MQ
Khan
Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital &Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Alfaisal University School of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed N
MN
Al-Ahdal
KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Philippe
P
Lemey
KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Bram
B
Vrancken
D001499:Bayes Theorem; D030561:Databases, Nucleic Acid; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology