Hepatitis C virus genotypes in a cohort of Australian blood donors and haemophiliac and liver transplant patients

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Abstract
The aim of the present study was to characterize hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes using the INNO‐LiPA HCV line probe assay and direct sequencing from three different HCV‐RNA‐positive (serum) groups: (i) blood donors (n= 59); (ii) haemophiliacs (n= 43); and (iii) patients undergoing liver transplantation (n= 26). Of 128 HCV‐RNA‐positive samples, 74 (58%) were genotype 1. Of these, 41 were genotype 1a, 32 were genotype 1b and one was genotype 1 indeterminate. Of the remaining 54 samples, seven (5%) were genotype 2a, two (2%) were genotype 2b, 26 (20%) were genotype 3a, three (2%) were genotype 4a, while 16 (12.5%) were of a mixed genotype. There was no significant difference between the three groups with regard to the prevalence of any specific genotype. However, in blood donors and haemophiliac patients there was a statistically significant difference in the occurrence of genotype 3a in patients with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (30.3%) compared with those patients with persistently normal ALT levels (5.6%; P= 0.004; x2) Genotype 3a was also uncommon in liver transplant patients (one of 14) with ‘sporadic’ HCV infection. Genotype 4a was detected only in liver transplant patients. These patients had originated from Egypt (n= 1), Italy (n= 1) and Romania (n= 1).