Related Experiment Videos
Hepatitis C virus infection and genotypes in Japanese hemophiliacs
1Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Insights
Japanese hemophilia patients show a high incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, often with rare or mixed HCV genotypes. This is likely due to transfusions of coagulation factor concentrates.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Hematology
Background:
- Hemophilia patients are at high risk for transfusion-transmitted infections, including hepatitis C virus (HCV).
- Understanding HCV genotypes in this population is crucial for treatment and epidemiological studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of HCV and human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) antibodies in Japanese hemophilia patients.
- To determine the distribution of HCV genotypes in Japanese hemophilia patients.
- To compare HCV genotypes in hemophilia patients with those in non-hemophiliac chronic hepatitis C patients.
Main Methods:
- Blood samples from 195 Japanese hemophilia patients were tested for HCV and HIV-1 antibodies.
- HCV genotyping was performed using the double polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in a subset of patients.
- HCV genotyping was also performed in 191 non-hemophiliac patients with chronic hepatitis C for comparison.
Main Results:
- A high prevalence of HCV antibodies (173/195) and HIV-1 antibodies (61/195) was observed in hemophilia patients.
- Among 63 hemophilia patients genotyped, single, double, and triple HCV genotypes were identified, including rare types and mixed infections.
- Non-hemophiliac patients predominantly showed single HCV genotypes, primarily type 1b, 2a, and 2b.
Conclusions:
- Frequent transfusions of coagulation factor concentrates likely contribute to the high incidence of HCV infection and diverse genotypes in Japanese hemophilia patients.
- The findings highlight the importance of screening and management strategies for viral infections in hemophilia populations.
Abstract:
Liver function and antibodies to hepatitis C virus and to human immunodeficiency virus-1 were examined in 195 Japanese patients with hemophilia. One hundred and seventy-three were positive for antibody to HCV and 61 for antibody to human immunodeficiency virus-1. In 63 patients, we examined HCV genotypes according to the double polymerase chain reaction method. Forty cases (63%) were infected with hepatitis C virus with a single genotype, including type 1a in five, type 1b in 21, type 2a in seven and type 2b in seven; 16 (25%) were infected with double genotypes, including types 1a + 1b in 14, types 1b + 2a in one and types 1b+2b in one; and four (6%) were infected with triple genotypes, including types 1a + 1b + 2b in two. Genotype could not be determined in three patients by this method. In the 191 nonhemophiliac patients with chronic hepatitis C, HCV genotyping was as follows: type 1a in 0, type 1b in 121, type 2a in 40 and type 2b in 10 of 171 cases (89.5%) with single infection and types 1b + 2a in five and types 2a + 2b in one of six (5.5%) with double infection. In the remaining 14 patients, genotype could not be determined. Frequent transfusion of domestic and/or imported coagulation factor concentrates probably caused the high incidence of HCV infection with rare or mixed genotypes in Japanese hemophiliacs.