HGV/GBV-C subtype prevalence in IVDU from Argentina

QUARLERI JF; FELD M; FERRARIO D; MATHET V; BIGLIONE M; LIBONATTI O; OUBIÑA JR

Venecia, Italia

Congreso; 5th International Meeting on Hepatitis C Virus and Related Viruses; 1998

Objective: To detect and characterize the 5´ untranslated region (5´UTR) of HGV / GBV-C Argentine isolates by RFLP genotyping assay in IVDU. Materials and Methods: 63 IVDU infected with HIV were studied. RT-Nested PCR combined with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) subtyping was performed. Twenty one samples (33%) were RNA HGV / GBV-C positive. 5´UTR amplicons (326 / 327 bp) were analyzed by RFLP using 3 endonucleases: Hinf I, Mae II, and Dra I. Results: (Graphic) Mixed infections (n=4) corresponded to 1b+2b (n=2), 1b+2b+3 (n=1), and 1b+3 (n=1). Conclusions: 1) This study depicts a high prevalence of HGV / GBV-C infection among IVDU. 2) Type 2 exhibited the highest rate (57%); subtypes 2a and 2b contributing with 24% and 33%, respectively. 3) To our knowledge, this is the first communication of HGV / GBV-C mixed infections, taking into account that 20% of the samples included 2 o 3 subtypes. The genomic heterogeneity of HGV / GBV-C emphasizes the relevance of investigating their potential relationship with liver disease and responsiveness to antiviral treatment.