Ali Sajid, Ahmad Ayaz, Khan Raham Sher, Khan Sanaullah, Hamayun Muhammad, Khan Sumera Afzal, Iqbal Amjad, Khan Abid Ali, Wadood Abdul, Ur Rahman Taj, Baig Ali Hydar
Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan ; Center of Biotechnology & Microbiology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan.
Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan.
Adv Virol. 2014;2014:606201. doi: 10.1155/2014/606201. Epub 2014 Feb 26.
The clinical outcomes of patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) range from acute resolving hepatitis to chronic liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Identification of the infecting virus genotype is indispensable for the exploration of many aspects of HCV infection, including epidemiology, pathogenesis, and response to antiviral therapy. 1419 individuals were screened for anti-HCV in this study, of which 166 (11.7%) were found reactive by ICT (Immunochromatographic test). These 166 anti-HCV positive and 26 normal individuals were further analyzed. RNA was extracted from serum and reverse-transcribed to cDNA and the core region of HCV genome was targeted and amplified by multiplex PCR. HCV RNA was detected in 121 individuals, of which 87 were male and 34 were female. Genotype 3a was the most prevalent among all the genotypes observed followed by 3b. Genotypes 1a, 2a, and 2b were found in 10.89%, 13.22%, and 6.61% patients, respectively. 25.41% of the HCV RNA positive samples were not typed. 6.05% of patients were found having mixed genotypes. These findings will not only help the physicians to prescribe more appropriate treatment for the HCV infection but will also draw the attention of health-related policy makers to devise strategies to curb the disease more effectively.
丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）感染患者的临床结果范围从急性自限性肝炎到慢性肝病，如肝硬化或肝细胞癌。确定感染病毒的基因型对于探索HCV感染的许多方面至关重要，包括流行病学、发病机制以及对抗病毒治疗的反应。本研究对1419名个体进行了抗HCV筛查，其中166人（11.7%）通过免疫层析试验（ICT）检测呈阳性。对这166名抗HCV阳性个体和26名正常个体进行了进一步分析。从血清中提取RNA并逆转录为cDNA，通过多重PCR靶向扩增HCV基因组的核心区域。在121名个体中检测到HCV RNA，其中87名男性，34名女性。在所有观察到的基因型中，3a基因型最为普遍，其次是3b基因型。1a、2a和2b基因型分别在10.89%、13.22%和6.61%的患者中发现。25.41%的HCV RNA阳性样本未分型。6.05%的患者被发现有混合基因型。这些发现不仅将帮助医生为HCV感染开出更合适的治疗方案，还将引起卫生相关政策制定者的关注，以制定更有效的策略来控制该疾病。
