Abstract
BackgroundDue to shared transmission routes, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly prevalent among people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is associated with hepatotoxicity, leading to the negative effects on patients with HIV/HCV co-infection. In order to provide valuable information for HCV management in this particular population, we investigated the HCV genotypes in HIV-infected individuals from Henan and Guangxi, the two provinces with the most HIV-infected cases in China.MethodsIndividuals, who acquired HIV infection through various risk routes, were recruited from Henan and Guangxi. Test of antibodies against HCV (anti-HCV) was conducted, and detection of HCV RNA was performed by PCR amplification. HCV subtypes were determined by direct sequencing of amplicons, followed by phylogenetic analysis.ResultsWe recruited a total of 1,112 HIV-infected people in this present study. Anti-HCV was detected from 218 (50.1%) patients from Henan and 81 (12.0%) patients from Guangxi, respectively. The highest prevalence of HIV/HCV co-infection was observed from FBDs (former blood donors) (87.2%) in Henan and IDUs (intravenous drug users) (81.8%) in Guangxi, respectively. The seroprevalence rate of HCV among people with sexual contact was significantly higher in Henan than in Guangxi (18.7% vs. 3.5%, P<0.05). The positive rate of HCV RNA in Henan and Guangxi was 30.6% (133/435) and 11.2% (76/677), respectively. Moreover, we found that 20 anti-HCV negative samples were HCV positive by PCR amplification. HCV subtype 1b (52.7%) was predominant in Henan, followed by subtype 2a (41.9%). The most frequently detected subtypes in Guangxi were 6a (35.6%) and 3b (32.9%).ConclusionThe HCV genotype distributions were different in HIV-infected people from Henan and Guangxi. HIV/HCV co-infection was not only linked to the transmission routes, but also associated with the geographic position.
Highlights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single, positive-stranded RNA virus, and it belongs to the Flaviviridae family [1]
The seroprevalence rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among people with sexual contact was significantly higher in Henan than in Guangxi (18.7% vs. 3.5%, P,0.05)
Our study revealed that the HCV genotype distributions in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected people between Henan and Guangxi are different
Summary
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single, positive-stranded RNA virus, and it belongs to the Flaviviridae family [1]. HCV infection is the most important factor causing chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, affecting more than 170 million people worldwide [2]. Due to shared transmission routes and common risk factors, HCV infection is frequently associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, with a prevalence of approximately 20% to 25% of the HIV-positive population [3]. Several studies have revealed that HAART is associated with an increased risk of antiretroviral-related hepatotoxicity and druginduced liver injury (DILI) in people with HIV/HCV co-infection [6]. Due to shared transmission routes, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly prevalent among people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is associated with hepatotoxicity, leading to the negative effects on patients with HIV/HCV co-infection. In order to provide valuable information for HCV management in this particular population, we investigated the HCV genotypes in HIV-infected individuals from Henan and Guangxi, the two provinces with the most HIV-infected cases in China
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