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A Protocol for Analyzing Hepatitis C Virus Replication
Published on: June 26, 2014
Prevalence of hepatitis C virus among HIV-infected patients
Elham Zayedi1, Manoochehr Makvandi1,2, Ali Teimoori1,2
1Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) co-infection is common, with 32.05% of HIV patients testing positive for HCV antibodies. HCV genotype 3a was the most prevalent, highlighting the need for regular HCV RNA screening in HIV-positive individuals.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) share transmission routes.
- HIV/HCV co-infection accelerates liver fibrosis, increasing risks of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Understanding HCV genotypes in HIV-positive populations is crucial for disease management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of HCV genotypes among HIV-positive patients in Ahvaz, Iran.
- To investigate the co-infection rate of HCV in individuals with HIV.
- To identify dominant HCV genotypes in this co-infected population.
Main Methods:
- Collected sera from 78 HIV-positive individuals.
- Tested for HCV antibodies (HCV Ab) using ELISA.
- Nested RT-PCR and sequencing were used to detect and genotype HCV RNA in positive samples.
Main Results:
- 32.05% of HIV patients were positive for HCV Ab; 24.35% of these were HCV RNA positive.
- HCV genotypes 3a and 1a were detected.
- HCV genotype 3a was dominant, particularly in male injecting drug users (IDUs).
Conclusions:
- A significant proportion of HIV patients in Ahvaz are co-infected with HCV.
- HCV genotype 3a is the predominant strain in this co-infected group.
- Regular HCV RNA screening is recommended for all HIV-infected individuals due to co-infection risks.
Background And Objectives:
Hepatitis C virus and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) share the same rate of transmission. HIV/HCV co-infected individuals may result in faster progression of liver fibrosis and highly increase the risk of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma development. Thus this study was conducted to determine co-infection of HCV genotypes in positive HIV patients in Ahvaz city, Iran.
Materials And Methods:
The sera samples were collected from confirmed 78 infected HIV, 67 (85.89%) males and 11 (14.1%) females. All sera samples were tested for HCV Ab using ELISA test. The HCV Ab positive samples were tested for detection of 5' untranslated (UTR) and core regions of HCV genome using nested RT-PCR. The PCR products of 5UTR and core regions were sequenced to determine HCV genotypes.
Results:
Among the 78 infected HIV, 25 (32.05%) cases including 20 (25.64%) males and 5 (6.41%) females were positive for HCV Ab (p=0.316). 53 (67.94%) of HIV patients were negative for HCV Ab. Among 25 positive HCV Ab, 19 (24.35%) cases including 15 (19.23%) males and 4 (5.12%) females were positive for HCV RNA (p=0.447). The PCR products of 5 positive samples were randomly sequenced. The results of sequences and alignments showed that the detected HCV genotypes were three 3a and two 1a. The occurrence of genotype HCV 1a was found in one male injecting drug user Injecting Drug User (IDU) and one female. The HCV 3a genotype was detected in the three males IDU.
Conclusion:
The results of this survey indicated that 32.05% of HIV patients were positive for HCV Ab, among them 24.35% were positive HCV RNA. HCV genotype 3a was dominant and detected in the three males IDU. Regarding the consequences of HIV/HCV co-infection, it is suggested that HCV RNA detection should be regularly checked in individuals infected with HIV.
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