DISTRIBUTION OF HEPATITIS C VIRUS GENOTYPE AMONG HCV INFECTED PATIENTS IN GOLESTAN PROVINCE, IRAN

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the main causative factors of liver disease which can lead to chronic hepatitis C infection in 80% of cases. HCV genotypes have a special worldwide geographic distribution. The goal of the present study was to detect HCV genotypes in patients with anti-HCV positive titers in Golestan Province, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 95 positive HCV samples as detected by RIBA were evaluated. Viral RNA was extracted with a Roche extraction kit and the Fermentase cDNA kit Random hexamer primers was used for viral genomic cDNA synthesis. PCR was performed on all samples by a general pair of primers. Second-step PCR was done with specific primers, and the results were obtained following electrophoresis in 1.5% agarose gel and ethidium bromide staining in documentation gel. Results: General primer PCR revealed 91 positive samples. Assessment of 77 samples determined that the following genotypes were present: 1 and 3 [1a (19.5%), 1b (19.5%), 3a (15.6%), 3b (24.7%)], 2a (2.6%), 4 (7.8%). The remaining samples were a mixture of genotypes 1 and 3 (6.5%). Conclusion: The ingmost prevalent genotypes found were types 1 and 3 in Golestan Province. This distribution pattern differed from other areas in Iran, however genotype 4 was in accordance with other studies. Genotype 2 was only reported in this study and a study in Tehran. Thus, additional, larger studies of HCV genotypes should be performed for further analysis of genotypic distribution patterns.