Shobokshi O A, Serebour F E, Skakni L, Al-Saffy Y H, Ahdal M N
Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
J Med Virol. 1999 May;58(1):44-8.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes are diverse geographically. Infectivity, pathogenicity, and sustained response to treatment may be influenced by HCV genotypes/subtypes. This study examined the relative distribution of hepatitis C genotypes and subtypes among isolates from 84 individuals with chronic active hepatitis (CAH), 39 haemodialysis patients, and 31 intravenous drug addicts, of Saudi Arabian origin. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using specific primers from the 5'-UTR was performed and amplified products were genotyped/subtyped using a commercial reverse phase hybridisation technique (Innolipa HCV 11, Innogenetics, Belgium). Seventy-four percent of the CAH patients were found to be genotype 4 (4c/4d: 33%; 4h: 14%; 4e: 7%; 4: 20%) but other subtypes such as 1b: 14%, 2b: 4%, 3a: 5%, 5a: 1%, and 6a: 1%, were also detected. A history of blood transfusion was disclosed in only 10% of the CAH group. The pattern among haemodialysis patients was as follows: genotype 4: 49% (4h: 13%; 4: 36% ); 1a: 33%, 1: 3%; 1b: 10%; and 5a: 5%. The intravenous drug addict group showed 39% subtype 1b, but other subtypes such as 9% for 1a; 3% for 2a; 36% for 4; 3% for 5a; and 9% for 3a were seen. It is concluded that genotype 4 is predominant among our HCV isolates from CAH patients but subtype 1a and 1b have emerged among our haemodialysis and intravenous drug addict cases, respectively. A significant relationship between the viral genotype and the source of infection has emerged among Saudi groups at high risk for hepatitis C virus.
丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）基因型在地理上具有多样性。HCV基因型/亚型可能会影响感染性、致病性以及对治疗的持续反应。本研究调查了84例沙特阿拉伯裔慢性活动性肝炎（CAH）患者、39例血液透析患者和31例静脉吸毒者分离株中丙型肝炎基因型和亚型的相对分布情况。使用来自5'-UTR的特异性引物进行逆转录-聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR），并使用商业反相杂交技术（Innolipa HCV 11，比利时Innogenetics公司）对扩增产物进行基因分型/亚型分析。结果发现，74%的CAH患者为4型基因型（4c/4d：33%；4h：14%；4e：7%；4：20%），但也检测到其他亚型，如1b：14%、2b：4%、3a：5%、5a：1%和6a：1%。CAH组中只有10%的患者有输血史。血液透析患者的基因型分布情况如下：4型基因型：49%（4h：13%；4：36%）；1a：33%，1：3%；1b：10%；5a：5%。静脉吸毒者组中1b亚型占39%，但也可见其他亚型，如1a为9%；2a为3%；4为36%；5a为3%；3a为9%。研究得出结论，在我们从CAH患者中分离出的HCV毒株中，4型基因型占主导地位，但在血液透析患者和静脉吸毒者病例中，分别出现了1a和1b亚型。在沙特丙型肝炎病毒高风险人群中，病毒基因型与感染源之间存在显著关联。
