ABSTRACT

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the major cause of chronic hepatitis that can lead to fibrosis and/or hepatocellular cancer, with approximately 71 million chronically infected people worldwide. HCV exhibits significant genetic variability, with eight genotypes and more than 70 subtypes identified so far. The objective of this study was to determine the most popular HCV genotypes and subtypes among Moroccan patients by partial sequencing of NS5B, in order to guide treatment initiation and select the most appropriate treatment regimen. Genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4 were observed in 100 patients newly diagnosed with HCV infection by two methods (Abbott test, and NS5Bgenotyping using the Sanger method). The concordance between the two methods was also evaluated. The viral load and genotype determination were performed using an automated Abbott real-time HCV Genotype II assay. The “NS5B” region was sequenced by the Sanger method using a validated in-house protocol. Genotype 1 was the most prevalent (53%) genotype, followed by genotype 2 (39%), genotype 3 (6%) and genotype 4 (1%). Different HCV subtypes were also detected; 1b, 1a, 1d, 3a, 2, 2q, 2a, 2i 4d. 1b (30%) and 2i (29%) were the predominant subtypes. The concordance between the Abbott automated results and the NS5B sequencing for genotypes 1and 2 was 100% (45/45) and 96,77% (31/30) respectively. Keywords: HCV; NS5B; Sanger sequencing; genotype / subtypes
Publication date: 01/07/2023

https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2023/July/MS_IJBPAS_2023_7297.pdf

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https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2023/12.7.7297