High prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection and predominance of genotype 4 in rural gabon

✍ Scribed by G.R. Ndong-Atome; M. Makuwa; O. Ouwe-Missi-Oukem-Boyer; O.G. Pybus; M. Branger; S. Le Hello; S.B. Boye-Cheik; F. Brun-Vezinet; M. Kazanji; P. Roques; S. Bisser

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 230 KB
• Volume: 80
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.21252

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Hepatitis C (HCV) molecular epidemiology is documented poorly in central African countries. In response to this, a population‐based study of 319 consenting adults resident in a remote village of Gabon was undertaken (mean age: 38 years; age range: 13–85+; sex ratio: 0.74). Screening for anti‐HCV antibodies was performed using ELISA and recombinant immunoblot assay. Seropositive samples were assessed further with viral load and genotyping techniques. Sixty‐six (20.7%) individuals were HCV seropositive. Viral loads ranged from 600 to 24.9 million IU/ml (median: 372,500). Seroprevalence and viral loads increased significantly with age (P < 10^−5^ and P < 0.003, respectively). HCV sequences of the 5′UTR genome region were obtained from 60 (90.9%) samples and NS5B region sequences were obtained from 22 (36.6%) samples. All strains belonged to subtypes of genotype 4: 4e (72.7%), 4c (13.6%), 4p (4.5%), 4r (4.5%) and one unclassified genotype 4 strain. Evolutionary analysis of the subtype 4e sequences indicates a period of raised transmission during the early twentieth century. J. Med. Virol. 80:1581–1587, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.