Abstract

Six major hepatitis C virus genotypes have been characterized, which vary in their geographical distribution. Knowledge of the distribution of various genotypes is essential for successful future research, treatment and control strategies. In this study, the distribution of HCV genotypes and their association with possible risk factors in a group of HCV infected patients from Kermanshah province of Iran was investigated. HCV viral load test by Real time- PCR method was used for diagnosis of infected cases. The genotypes of cases were revealed using Nested- and Multiplex-PCR and with direct sequencing results were confirmed. Risk factors were also recorded and a multivariate analysis was performed. Among 180 infected people, 138 (76.6%) with 3a genotype, 35 (19.4%) with 1a genotype, 3 (1.7%) with 1b genotype and 4 (2.2%) with 3a and 1b were determined. HCV was transmitted by different routes such as intravenous drug abuse (IVDA), tattooing, sexual, blood transfusion and other risk factors. IVDA and sex are the main risk factors in the men and women, respectively. However, 3a is the predominant genotype in the all groups. This study revealed that 3a is the most prevalent genotypes in Kermanshah province.

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