[Study on hepatitis C virus genotyping in Yixing area, Jiangsu province]

To investigate the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in Yixing, Jiangsu province.

Genotypes identification on sera samples were obtained from 158 donors who had already been anti-HCV positive through PCR method with type specific primer designed according to the sequence of 5'non-coding region (5'NCR). 5'NCR was also sequenced and compared with published date. Genotypes distribution was investigated in patients with different sex and clinical types of hepatitis C.

Of the total 158 patients, 95 were HCV RNA positive in which 80 patients having genotype 1b (80/95; 84.4%), 5 patients having genotype 2(5/95; 5.3%), 5 patients with 1b/2 mixed genotypes (5/ 95; 5.3%) and another 5 patients whose genotype undetermined. The difference on the distribution of HCV genotypes was significant between female and male patients (P < 0.05) but not in different kinds of hepatitis C patients.

Type 1b was the predominant HCV genotype in Yixing area.