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Updated: Oct 2, 2026
A Protocol for Analyzing Hepatitis C Virus Replication
Published on: June 26, 2014
[Nucleotide sequence analysis for high variance region of hepatitis C virus in patients with hemodialysis]
Objective:
To investigate the route of transmission for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients on hemodialysis (HD).
Methods:
Nucleotide sequence of high variance region (HVR) of HCV was analyzed with nucleotide sequencing technique in 15 HD patients, and its homology was compared.
Results:
Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of HCV HVR in 15 HD patients showed that their homologies in isolates 8, 12 and 14 reached 97.50%, 95.00% in isolates 4, 5 and 10, and more than 80.00% in isolates 1, 3 - 8 and 10 - 14. Clinical data showed that all these patients were hemodialyzed in the same room with the same HD machine. Isolates 2 and all others were 61.25% - 66.25% in homology, and 57.50% - 67.50% in isolates 9 and all others, and both the patients had histories of large-quantity blood transfusion.
Conclusion:
Blood transfusion was the primary risk factor for HCV infection in HD patients, but iatrogenic transmission of HCV through HD environment could also exist.
