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Hepatitis C virus genotypes in Hungarian and Austrian patients with chronic hepatitis C
Zsófia Müller1, Judith Deák, R Stefan Ross
1Department of Clinical Microbiology, University of Szeged, Somogyi B. tér 1, H-6725, Szeged, Hungary. zsomu@freemail.hu
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotyping is crucial for understanding and treating chronic infections. This study found genotype 1 to be most prevalent in South Hungarian and Southeast Austrian patients, with other genotypes also identified.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes are critical for epidemiological studies, vaccine research, and managing chronic HCV infections.
- Understanding regional HCV genotype distribution aids in targeted treatment strategies and public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the distribution of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in patients with chronic hepatitis C from South Hungary and Southeast Austria.
- To evaluate the utility of the TruGene HCV 5'NC Genotyping Kit for high-throughput HCV genotyping.
Main Methods:
- HCV genotyping was performed using the automated TruGene HCV 5'NC Genotyping Kit.
- Phylogenetic analysis was employed to complement the genotypic results.
- Patient samples were collected from South Hungarian and Southeast Austrian cohorts.
Main Results:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 was the predominant genotype, found in all 20 Hungarian patients and 15 of 20 Austrian patients.
- HCV genotypes 2 and 3 were identified in the remaining Austrian patients.
- The TruGene assay successfully determined HCV genotypes in most cases, with limitations in subtyping for three patients.
Conclusions:
- The TruGene HCV 5'NC Genotyping assay is effective for high-throughput routine diagnostics of HCV genotypes.
- The study highlights the prevalence of HCV genotype 1 in the studied Hungarian and Austrian populations.
- Accurate HCV genotyping is essential for effective clinical management and epidemiological surveillance.
Abstract:
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes are relevant to epidemiological questions, vaccine development, and clinical management of chronic HCV infection. The aim of this study was to determine HCV genotypes of South Hungarian and Southeast Austrian patients with chronic hepatitis C. Results were obtained by the largely automated TruGene HCV 5'NC Genotyping Kit (Visible Genetics, Toronto, Ontario) and by phylogenetic analysis. All of the 20 Hungarian patients and 15 out of 20 Austrian patients were infected with genotype 1. The remaining Austrian patients were infected with genotypes 3 or 2. With the commercially available assay, it was not possible to determine the HCV subtype in a total of three patients. The TruGene HCV 5'NC Genotyping assay for the determination of HCV genotypes proved to be useful for a high-throughput routine diagnostic laboratory.