ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a worldwide concern and it is the major cause of liver disease. Several genotypes of the HCV have been reported from different regions of the world. The determination of the HCV genotypes is important for the prediction of response to antiviral treatment and clinical outcomes. So, HCV genotyping in each region is of great importance. This investigation was performed to determine the distribution of HCV genotypes in Arak city, Central province of Iran. PATIENTS & METHODS: In this cross sectional study, 174 cases with chronic HCV infection from Arak city were enrolled. HCV infection was confirmed by positive results in HCV antibody (anti-HCV) and HCV-RNA tests. HCV genotypes were determined using a PCR based genotyping kit. RESULTS: A total of 174 HCV infected patients with mean age of 37.5±10.24 years were enrolled. 97.7% of cases were male and 2.3% were female. The main route of HCV transmission was injection drug use (IDU) which was observed in 59.8% of cases. Genotyping results demonstrated that subtype 3a (52.9%) was the most prevalent HCV type in Arak, followed by subtype 1a (22.9%) and subtype 1ab (17.8%). CONCLUSION: This study showed that HCV subtype 3a was the most prevalent HCV type, followed by subtype 1a and subtype 1ab in Arak, central province of Iran. Investigation of HCV genotypes in different parts of the country is needed to facilitate treatment options and preventive strategies.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the promoter region of the interleukin (IL)-10 genes have a role in determining hepatitis B virus (HBV) outcome. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates the correlation between HBV infection and SNP in IL-10 gene promoter. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-six HBV-infected patients (32 chronic hepatitis B infection patients, 34 healthy carriers, 30 spontaneously recovered cases) and 31 healthy controls were enrolled. Three biallelic (-819,-592,-1082) regions in the IL-10 gene promoter were sequenced for all patients. RESULTS: Genotypes and haplotypes of IL-10 gene promoter region at position -1082, -819 and -592 were not significantly different among controls, HBV recovered cases, carriers and chronic HBV patients. Nevertheless, A/A genotype at position -592 and T/T genotype at position -819 were more frequently seen in the HBV clearance group, while frequency of G/G genotype at position -1082 was more prevalent in the persistence group. GCC/GCC and GCC/ACC haplotypes were significantly observed in anti-HBe positive individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that IL-10 promoter polymorphisms were not correlated with HBV infection prognosis. Nevertheless, individuals carrying high and intermediate producer of IL-10 haplotypes had a better ability to develop anti-HBe than low producer carriers.