Abstract
BackgroundMore than half of intravenous drug users (IDUs) in China suffer from the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The virus is also more prevalent in non-injection drug users (NIDUs) than in the general population. However, not much is known about HCV subtype distribution in these populations.MethodsOur research team conducted a cross-sectional study in four provinces in China. We sampled 825 IDUs and 244 NIDUs (1162 total), genotyped each DU’s virus, and performed a phylogenetic analysis to differentiate HCV subtypes.ResultsNucleic acid testing (NAT) determined that 82% percent (952/1162) of samples were HCV positive; we subtyped 90% (859/952) of these. We found multiple HCV subtypes: 3b (249, 29.0%), 3a (225, 26.2%), 6a (156, 18.2%), 1b (137, 15.9%), 6n (50, 5.9%), 1a (27, 3.1%), and 2a (15, 1.7%). An analysis of subtype distributions adjusted for province found statistically significant differences between HCV subtypes in IDUs and NIDUs.DiscussionHCV subtypes 3b, 3a, 6a, and 1b were the most common in our study, together accounting for 89% of infections. The subtype distribution differences we found between IDUs and NIDUs suggested that sharing syringes was not the most likely pathway for HCV transmission in NIDUs. However, further studies are needed to elucidate how NIDUs were infected.
Highlights
An analysis of subtype distributions adjusted for province found statistically significant differences between Hepatitis C virus (HCV) subtypes in intravenous drug users (IDUs) and non-injection drug users (NIDUs)
The subtype distribution differences we found between IDUs and NIDUs suggested that sharing syringes was not the most likely pathway for HCV transmission in NIDUs
[8] Chronic HCV infection was strongly associated with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); 5–20% of HCV chronic patients progress to liver cirrhosis in 20 to 25 years, and around 4% will suffer from HCC. [9,10] Sharing needles, syringes, and drug-preparation equipment has been demonstrated as the most common HCV transmission pathway in IDUs
Summary
More than half of intravenous drug users (IDUs) in China suffer from the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The virus is more prevalent in non-injection drug users (NIDUs) than in the general population. Not much is known about HCV subtype distribution in these populations
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