Summary auto-generated
This study characterized hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates from Guinea Conakry in West Central Africa. Among 1,421 individuals tested (blood donors, pregnant women, and patients), 6.7% were anti-HCV positive, with prevalence increasing from 4.4% in blood donors to 8.6% in patients. Seven HCV isolates from 73 anti-HCV positive sera were genetically analyzed using sequencing of the 5' non-coding region (5'NCR) and NS5b region. All isolates were classified as HCV genotype 2 by Line Probe Assay. Phylogenetic analysis of the NS5b region (nucleotides 7575-8196) revealed significant heterogeneity among the Guinea isolates, with evolutionary distances of 0.15-0.26 from known genotype 2 subtypes. Most isolates clustered separately from established subtypes 2a-2f, suggesting four possible new subtypes. Only two isolates (PH48 and DO12) grouped together. The findings demonstrate substantial subtype diversity within genotype 2 circulating in this population and highlight the importance of studying HCV variability in African regions, as novel variants may produce atypical patterns in standard classification methods.
Key findings
- 6.7% anti-HCV prevalence in Guinea Conakry with increasing rates by age group (4.4-12%)
- All seven characterized isolates belong to HCV genotype 2, representing the first systematic genotyping of HCV in this West Central African region
- High subtype heterogeneity detected among genotype 2 isolates with evolutionary distances (0.15-0.26) suggesting four possibly new subtypes distinct from known 2a-2f variants
- Standard 5'NCR sequencing failed to differentiate subtypes; NS5b region analysis was required for accurate classification
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Abstract
An overall anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence of 6·7% was found in a sero-epidemiological study carried out in the town of Conakry (Guinea Conakry, West Central Africa) on 1421 subjects who were either blood donors, pregnant women or in- and outpatients receiving treatment for conditions other than liver disease. Seven HCV isolates from a subsample of 73 sterile sera from this population were studied for genetic characterization and classification. The 5'NCR was analysed by the Line Probe Assay. This method assigned the isolates to genotype 2. Analysis of the 5'NCR sequences alone was unable to give a more accurate classification. Comparison of NS5b region sequences (nucleotides 75758196), from Guinea isolates and genotype 2 database sequences, showed evolutionary distances in the range 0·150·26. There was a high level of subtype heterogeneity among the genotype 2 Guinea HCV isolates. Four of the subtypes were possibly new.