One-Year Post-Vaccination Longitudinal Follow-Up of Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 Anti-Spike Total Antibodies in Health Care Professionals and Evaluation of Correlation with Surrogate Neutralization Test.

Numerous vaccines have been generated to decrease the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate the immunogenicity of the heterologous boosts by BioNTech against homologous boosts by CoronaVac at three-month intervals in two health care worker (HCW) cohorts, with or without prior COVID-19, for one year post-vaccination. This is a prospective cohort study in which the humoral responses of 386 HCWs were followed-up longitudinally in six main groups according to their previous COVID-19 exposure and vaccination status. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike-RBD total antibody levels were measured and SARS-CoV-2 neutralization antibody (NAbs) responses against the ancestral Wuhan and the Omicron variant were evaluated comparatively using international standard serum for Wuhan and Omicron, as well as with the aid of a conversion tool. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike-RBD total Ab and Nab difference between with and without prior COVID-19, three months after two-dose primary vaccination with CoronaVac, was statistically significant (p = 0.001). In the subsequent follow-ups, this difference was not observed between the groups. Those previously infected (PI) and non-previously infected (NPI) groups receiving BioNTech as the third dose had higher anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike total Ab levels (14.2-fold and 17.4-fold, respectively, p = 0.001) and Nab responses (against Wuhan and Omicron) than those receiving CoronaVac. Ab responses after booster vaccination decreased significantly in all groups at the ninth-month follow-up (p < 0.05); however, Abs were still higher in all booster received groups than that in the primary vaccination. Abs were above the protective level at the twelfth-month measurement in the entire of the second BioNTech received group as the fourth dose of vaccination. In the one-year follow-up period, the increased incidence of COVID-19 in the groups vaccinated with two or three doses of CoronaVac compared with the groups vaccinated with BioNTech as a booster suggested that continuing the heterologous CoronaVac/BioNTech vaccination, revised according to current SARS-CoV-2 variants and with at least a six-month interval booster would be an effective and safe strategy for protection against COVID-19, particularly in health care workers.

Factors Associated with 28-day Critical Illness Development During the First Wave of COVID-19.

Objective: This study aimed to define the predictors of critical illness development within 28 days postadmission during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study including 477 PCR-positive COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Istanbul from March 12 to May 12, 2020. Results: The most common presenting symptoms were cough, dyspnea, and fatigue. Critical illness developed in 45 (9.4%; 95% CI=7.0%-12.4%) patients. In the multivariable analysis, age (hazard ratio (HR)=1.05, p<0.001), number of comorbidities (HR=1.33, p=0.02), procalcitonin ≥0.25 µg/L (HR=2.12, p=0.03) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ≥350 U/L (HR=2.04, p=0.03) were independently associated with critical illness development. The World Health Organization (WHO) ordinal scale for clinical improvement on admission was the strongest predictor of critical illness (HR=4.15, p<0.001). The patients hospitalized at the end of the study period had a much better prognosis compared to the patients hospitalized at the beginning (HR=0.14; p=0.02). The C-index of the model was 0.92. Conclusion: Age, comorbidity number, the WHO scale, LDH, and procalcitonin were independently associated with critical illness development. Mortality from COVID-19 seemed to be decreasing as the first wave of the pandemic advanced. Graphic Abstract: Graphic Abstract.

Comparison of 28-Day Mortality Between Hospital- and Community-Acquired Influenza Patients.

Objective: This study aimed to compare 28-day mortality between patients have hospital-acquired influenza (HAI) and those have community-acquired influenza (CAI) during the 2017-2019 influenza seasons in a tertiary care center in Istanbul, Türkiye. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort included all hospitalized patients who had confirmed influenza infection and were over 17 years old. HAI was defined as a case of influenza that tested negative in a PCR test or had no signs of influenza on admission but with a positive test result at any point after 72 hours of admission. CAI was defined as a case of influenza diagnosed within 72 hours of admission or before admission. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality after diagnosis. Biological sex, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular and immunosuppressive comorbidities, influenza subtype, and other variables identified with univariate analyses (p<0.25) were entered into logistic regression analysis. Results: During the study period, 92 (46%) of 201 hospitalized patients who tested positive for influenza were identified as HAI, and the rest (109) were identified as CAI. Univariate analysis showed no differences between survivors and non-survivors in patient characteristics, except non-survivors were more likely to have an ICU admission. The multivariable logistic regression analysis results showed that HAI was associated with 5.6-fold increased odds of mortality (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.6-19.3; p=0.006), after adjustment for age, gender, comorbidity, and ICU admission. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that patients who had HAI were more likely to die within 28 days compared to those who had CAI after controlling for key confounders. The high rate of HAI underscores the critical importance of robust infection control measures for hospital-acquired viral infections. Additional research and targeted interventions are necessary to improve the HAI prognosis.

The effect of immunization with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) and/or SARS-CoV-2 infection on antibody levels, plasmablasts, long-lived-plasma-cells, and IFN-γ release by natural killer cells.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the antibody response, natural killer cell response and B cell phenotypes in healthcare workers (HCW) who are vaccinated with two doses of CoronaVac with or without documented SARS-CoV-2 infection and unvaccinated HCWs with SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: HCWs were divided into four groups: vaccine only (VO), vaccine after SARS-CoV-2 infection (VAI), SARS-CoV-2 infection only (IO), and SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccine (IAV). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (Anti-S) antibodies were measured by Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S ELISA kit. Memory B cells (CD19+CD27+), plasmablast B cells (CD19+CD138+) and long-lived plasma cells (LLPC; CD138+CD19-) were measured by flow cytometry in 74 patients. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release by natural killer (NK) cells were measured by NKVue Test (NKMAX, Republic of Korea) in 76 patients. RT-PCR was performed with Bio-speedy® COVID-19 qPCR detection kit, Version 2 (Bioexen LTD, Istanbul, Turkey). RESULTS: The Anti-S antibodies were detectable in all HCWs (n: 224). The median Anti-S titers (BAU/mL) was significantly higher in VAI (620 25-75% 373-1341) compared to VO (136, 25-75% 85-283) and IO (111, 25-75% 54-413, p < 0.01). VAI group had significantly lower percentage of plasmablasts (2.9; 0-8.7) compared to VO (6.8; 3.5-12.0) and IO (9.9; 4.7-47.5, p < 0.01) (n:74). Percentage of LLPCs in groups VO, VAI and IO was similar. There was no difference of IFN-γ levels between the study groups (n: 76). CONCLUSION: The antibody response was similar between uninfected vaccinated HCWs and unvaccinated HCWs who had natural infection. HCWs who had two doses of CoronaVac either before or after the natural SARS-CoV-2 infection elicited significantly higher antibody responses compared to uninfected vaccinated HCWs. The lower percentages of plasmablasts in the VAI group may indicate their migration to lymph nodes and initiation of the germinal center reaction phase. IFN-γ response did not differ among the groups.

Cryptococcus meningitis presented with multiple cerebral infarcts in an immunocompetent patient.

Cryptococcus neoformans is generally observed with immunosuppressive conditions. Rarely, it may be seen in immunocompetent individuals and presented with non-specific conditions. We described an immunocompetent case of cryptococcal meningitis presented with multiple cerebral infarcts. Despite the late diagnosis and emergence of hydrocephalus during treatment, the patient was recovered without any sequelae. In immunocompetent patients, the conventional diagnostics tests may be negative because of the low fungal load. If it is available, the Biofire FilmArray meningitis panel has high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis.

[Distribution of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Genotypes Among Intravenous Drug and Non-Drug User Patients]. / Damar Içi Madde Bagimliligi Olan ve Madde Bagimlisi Olmayan Hastalar Arasinda Hepatit C Virus (HCV) Genotiplerinin Dagilimi.

Genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) can vary over the years between different patient groups and regions. The prevalence of intravenous drug users (IVDU) is known to increase in our country, yet there are a limited number of studies investigating the distribution of HCV genotypes in this group. These data are essential for monitorization of the changes in HCV epidemiology. The present study aimed to evaluate the five-year results of HCV genotyping among patients infected with HCV related to IVDU and unrelated to drug use. Plasma samples of 720 patients (HCV antibody, HCV RNA positive), which were sent to our laboratory for HCV genotyping between January 2014-March 2019 were analyzed. HCV RNA extraction from plasma samples was performed in the automated-extraction system of EZ1 advanced (Qiagen, Germany) using the EZ1 virus mini kit v2.0 (Qiagen, Germany). Amplicons were obtained by amplifying the 5'NCR and core gene region in the Rotorgene 6000 real-time PCR (Qiagen, Germany) device with the HCV RNA real-time quantitative 2.0 (NLM, Italy) kit. For the genotyping, a commercial line probe assay (LIPA) based on in vitro reverse hybridization GEN-C2.0 kit (NLM, Italy) which can distinguish 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 genotypes and 1a, 1b, 2a/c, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3k, 4a, 4b, 4c/d, 4e, 4f, 4h, 5a, 6a/b, 6g, 6f/q, 6m, 7a subtypes of HCV, based on variations in the 5'-NCR and core regions was used. HCV genotype distribution of 266 IVDU (93.2%: male; median age: 25 ± 6.82) and 454 non-drug users (51.3%: male; median age: 56.5 ± 16.06) were examined. In order of frequency in the group with IVDU; genotype 1a, 3a, 1b, 4c/d, 2b, 4, 3 were observed and genotype 1, 2a/c and mixed genotype (1+3a) were detected in one patient. In the group without IVDU, in order of frequency; genotype 1b, 1a, 3a, 1, 2a/c, 4 were observed and genotype 2b, 4c/d, 5a, 6a/b, 6 and mixed genotype (3+4) were detected in one patient. Genotypes 1a and 3a were significantly higher in the IVDU group (p< 0.00001, p< 0.00001), while 1b was significantly higher in patients without IVDU (p< 0.00001). Genotypes 1a and 3a were more common in young men (p< 0.00001, p= 0.000163), while 1b was higher in middleaged women (p< 0.00001). The incidence of genotypes 1b (p= 0.021) and 3a (p= 0.012) was higher in foreign nationals than the Turkish patients. When the HCV genotype distribution was examined by years, it was observed that the percentages of genotype 1b and 1a were decreasing, while the percentage of genotype 3a was increasing. As a result, in this study, HCV genotype distribution among IVDU was observed to be different from the general population without IVDU. It was found that genotypes 1a and 3a were more common in the IVDU group. As in the other regions of our country, genotype 1b was found most frequently in the general population. Genotype 3a increases significantly compared to years. In our study, the determination of genotypes existing in different parts of the world may be due to the foreign nationals living in our city and our region is a tourism center. It is also necessary to investigate whether there is an increase in IVDU over the years.

Follow-up of human adenovirus viral load in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: The spectrum of human adenovirus (HAdV)-related disease is broad, and the virus acts on many organs and systems in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. We aimed to evaluate the effect of HAdV-DNA positivity with clinical and laboratory findings 4 months after HSCT. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively investigated HAdV-DNA in 153 HSCT recipients (≤18 years) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RealStar; Altona Diagnostics). The results of samples from January 2014 to December 2017 are included. HAdV-DNA was positive for at least one sample type in 50 (32.67%) patients. HAdV-DNA positivity rate was 8.92% (N: 145/1625), 40.25% (N: 64/159), and 25% (N: 2/8) for plasma, stool, and urine samples, respectively. HAdV-DNA was positive in the plasma of 38 (24.83%) patients at a median 16 (range: 1-58 days) days after HSCT. The mortality rate was 23.68% and 6.95% in plasma HAdV-positive and HAdV-negative patients (p = .014). Moreover, HAdV-DNA positivity had an impact on overall survival for allogeneic-HSCT (p = .013), with the cumulative effect including graft-versus-host disease state in multivariate analysis (p = .014). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma HAdV-DNA positivity is a potential influencer that decreases survival in the early post-transplant period. Due to the high mortality rates, close monitoring is required of HAdV infections after HSCT with sensitive methods, especially at the early stage.

Tuberculosis and COVID-19: An overlapping situation during pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). First COVID-19 case was detected in March, 10, 2020 in Turkey and as of May, 18, 2020 148,067 cases have been identified and 4096 citizens have died. Tuberculosis (TB) is a worldwide public health concern, incidence of tuberculosis (per 100,000 people) in Turkey was reported at 14, 1 in 2018. During pandemic COVID-19 was the main concern in every clinic and as we discuss here overlapping respiratory diseases may result in delaying of the diagnosis and treatment. METHODOLOGY: There were 4605 respiratory samples examined between March 23 and May 18 for COVID-19 and 185 samples for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in our laboratory. The Xpert Ultra assay was performed for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis; SARS-CoV-2 RNA was determined by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) analysis in combined nasopharyngeal and deep oropharyngeal swabs of suspected cases of COVID-19. RESULTS: Both of SARS-CoV-2 and M. tuberculosis tests were requested on the clinical and radiological grounds in 30 patients. Here we discussed 2 patients who were both COVID-19 and TB positive. One patient already diagnosed with tuberculosis become COVID-19 positive during hospitalization and another patient suspected and treated for COVID-19 received the final diagnosis of pulmonary TB and Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection. CONCLUSIONS: We want to emphasize that while considering COVID-19 primarily during these pandemic days, we should not forget one of the "great imitators", tuberculosis within differential diagnoses.

[Comparison of Two Commercial Quantitative Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Polymerase Chain Reaction Tests Calibrated by World Health Organization International CMV Standard]. / Dünya Saglik Örgütü Uluslararasi Sitomegalovirüs (CMV) Standardi ile Kalibre Edilmis Iki Ticari Kantitatif CMV Polimeraz Zincir Reaksiyonu Testinin Karsilastirilmasi.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) viral load quantitation is important in diagnosis, follow-up, and monitoring of antiviral therapy in transplanted patients. In this study, it was aimed to compare the results of the two commercial World Health Organization (WHO) International CMV standard calibrated polymerase chain reaction tests, CMV Cobas Ampliprep/Cobas Taqman (CMV-CAP/CTM) (Roche, Germany) and Artus CMV QIASymphony-Rotorgene (CMV-QS-RGQ) (Qiagen, Germany). Both tests were performed simultaneously on 244 plasma samples. The results were measured in copies/ml and converted to IU/ml by multiplying with 0.91 for CMV-CAP/CTM and 1.64 for CMV-QS-RGQ, as specified by the manufacturers. CMV DNA was detected in 174 (71.3%) and was not detected in 52 (21.3%) of the samples and eighteen (7.4%) samples had discordant results by both of the tests. In 16 out of 18 samples with discordance, the viral load was below the dynamic measuring ranges of both tests. In one sample, CMV DNA could not be detected by CMV-CAP/CTM but detected by CMV-QS-RGQ with 497 copies/ml, and 334 copies/ml CMV DNA was detected by CMV-CAP/CTM in another sample where it could not be detected by CMV-QS-RGQ. A high degree of agreement was found between the qualitative results of the both tests (kappa= 0.80, p< 0.001). For quantitative results in the dynamic measuring range of both assays (n= 129), the median viral load values measured by CMV-CAP/CTM and CMV-QS-RGQ were 1140 copies/ml (range: 151-254000) and 1826 copies/ml (range: 189-551521). When the results were converted to IU/ ml, the median viral load values measured by CMV-CAP/CTM and CMV-QS-RGQ were 1037 IU/ml (range: 137-231140) and 2993 IU/ml (range: 310-904133), respectively. There was a very strong correlation (r= 0.94, p< 0.001; r= 0.94, p< 0.001, respectively) between the log10 values of the quantitative results in the dynamic measuring ranges (n= 129) as copies/ml and IU/ml of both tests. CMV-QS-RGQ values corresponding to 150, 1000, 3000 copies/ml in CMV-CAP/CTM were as 94.5, 1571, 323.5 copies/ml and CMV-QS-RGQ values corresponding to 137, 910, 2730 IU/ml in CMV CAP/CTM were as 154, 2557.6, 6965.9 IU/ml, respectively. A variation of 0.45 log10 was determined between these values. In a total of 131 samples; 129 of them with the result of both tests in the dynamic measuring range and two of them which CMV DNA was not detected in one of the tests; it was found that 112 (85.5%) results for copy/ ml, 73 (56%) results for IU/ml were within the measurement difference of ± 0.5 log10 and 19 (14.5%) results for copy/ml and 58 (44%) results for IU/ml were greater than ± 0.5 log10. Bland-Altman analysis showed that CMV-CAP/CTM test made lower measurements than CMV-QS-RGQ and the average difference for copy/ml and IU/ml results were 0.22 log10 copies/ml and 0.47 log10 IU/ml. In conclusion; when the results were converted to IU/ml, the number of samples with an acceptable measurement difference between the two test results (≤ 0.5 log10) decreased and the number of samples with a measurement difference > 0.5 log10 increased and the difference was found as statistically significant (p< 0.001). Calibrating the Roche CMV CAP/CTM and Artus CMV-QS-RGQ tests with the WHO international CMV standard did not increase comparability between quantitative results in plasma samples, on the contrary, it was found that when the results were converted to IU/ml, a measurement difference indicating biologically significant viral replication was detected between the two test results.

[Evaluation of the Two Different Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Methods Used for BK Virus (BKV) Quantification and BKV Genotype Assignment]. / BK Virüs (BKV) Kantitasyonunda Kullanilan Iki Farkli Gerçek Zamanli Polimeraz Zincir Reaksiyonu Yönteminin Karsilastirmasi ve BKV Genotip Tayini.

BK virus (BKV) viral load quantification has a distinct role in the clinical control of BKV nephropathy and organ rejection among renal transplant recipients. In this study, it was aimed to compare BKV DNA measurement values performed with two different real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods and to determine BKV genotypes in renal transplant recipients. Totally, 150 clinical samples tested previously in two different laboratories (Lab-1 and Lab-2) from adult and pediatric renal transplantation patients were included in the study. Fifty plasma samples of 50 different patients from Lab-1, 50 plasma and 50 urine samples of 58 different patients from Lab-2 were included in the study. Viral nucleic acid extraction was performed with automatized systems in Lab-1 and Lab-2 (EZ1, Qiagen, Germany and MagNA Pure 96, Roche Diagnostics, Germany; respectively;). Real-time PCR procedure was carried out in Lab-1 with an amplification mixture of primer, probe sequences targeting VP-1 gene region using RotorGene (Qiagen, Germany) and in Lab-2 with an amplification mixture of primer, probe sequences targeting VP-2 gene region using ABI Prism 7500 (Applied Biosystems, USA). BKV genotyping was performed with multiplex PCR using primer, probe sequences for BKV genotypes I-IV. In both of the laboratories, 82 (54.6%) of the samples were found as positive, 37(24.6%) samples were found as negative and a moderate agreement was found between qualitative results of two real-time PCR methods (ƙ= 0.56, p<0.001). Median viral load values were 4.1 x 104 copies/ml (321-6 x 109) in Lab-1 and 3.3 x 105 copies/ml (224-8.3 x 1010) in Lab-2 for positive samples. According to the lineer regression analysis of quantitative results, moderate (R2= 0.52, p<0.001) and high (R2= 0.88, p<0.001) correlation was found for plasma (n= 52) and urine (n= 30) samples, respectively. Bland-Altman analysis yielded a mean difference of -0.58 log10 for all samples. For plasma samples mean difference was -0.29 log10, while it was -1.1 log10 for urine samples. In all samples, Lab-1 measurements were lower than Lab-2 measurements. A mean difference of -1.1 log10 indicated that the measurement values of Lab-2 were more higher than Lab-1 measurments with an average of 1.1 log10. Supporting this result, 71.9% of the samples had a measurement difference more than 0.5 log 10 and 29.2% of the samples had a measurement difference more than 1 log10. Only 28.1% of the samples were measured within clinically acceptable log difference range (less than 0.5 log10). BKV genotyping was performed only for 74 different patient samples with sufficient copy numbers and genotype I (81.7%), IV (15.5%), II (1.4%), I+IV (1.4%) were detected. When the results were compared; 66.6% (n= 12) of the genotype IV samples had more than 1 log10 and 83.3% of them had more than 0.5 log10 viral load measurement difference. Correlation and linear regression analyzes were insufficient for the comparison ofthe results of the two different tests. It will be appropriate for each center to monitor patients with the same test until the international BKV standard developed by the World Health Organization is optimized. The clinical correlation of the tests is limited to the currently used test. The result of incorrect BKV quantification affects the clinical decision. Measurements less than the actual value will lead to the development of BKV nephropathy, and higher measurements will lead to unnecessary allograft biopsy and unnecessary reduction of immunosuppression.

[Distribution of hepatitis C virus genotypes among patients with chronic hepatitis C infection in Akdeniz University Hospital, Antalya, Turkey: a five-year evaluation]. / Akdeniz Üniversitesi Hastanesinde kronik hepatit C enfeksiyonu olan hastalarda hepatit C virus genotipleri: Bes yillik sonuçlarin degerlendirilmesi.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the major causes of chronic hepatitis. It is important to know the genotypes of HCV in the decision of the HCV related chronic hepatitis therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the HCV genotypes determined at the Microbiology Laboratory of Akdeniz University Hospital, and to evaluate the changes in the distribution of the genotypes within the last five years. A total of 422 blood samples from HCV-RNA positive chronic hepatitis C patients (219 male, 203 female; age range: 8-79 yrs, mean age 46.3 ± 15.5 yrs) which were sent to our laboratory for genotyping between 2009-2013 period, were analyzed retrospectively. HCV-RNA extractions were performed in an automated system (EZ1 Virus Mini Kit v2.0, Qiagen, Germany), and a commercial reverse hybridization line probe-based assay (LIPA; GEN-C RT-PCR, Italy) was carried out for genotyping, For viral load determinations, a real-time PCR method (Cobas TaqMan HCV, Roche Diagnostics, Germany) was used. Demographic data of the patients were obtained from the hospital information systems and electronic patients' files. Out of the 422 patients, genotype 1b was detected in 63.3% (n= 267), genotype 1a in 14.7% (n= 62), genotype 3a in 11.1% (n= 47), genotype 2b in 0.9% (n= 4), genotype 4e in 0.2% (n= 1). The subtypes couldn't be determined for 5.4% (n= 23), 2.6% (n= 11) and 1.4% (n= 6) of the patients infected with genotype 1, 2 and 4, respectively. One (0.2%) patient, was coinfected with genotype 1 and 4. Of the patients, 40 were foreign-born (16 cases from Russia; 4 of each from Ukraine and Georgia; 3 of each from Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Germany; one of each from Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Chechnya, Moldova, Switzerland and Romania) and among these patients genotype 3a (19/40; 47.5%) was the most common genotype followed by genotype 1b (17/40; 42.5%). Median values of HCV viral load were 668.500 IU/ml (range: 2.000-9.630.000) in the whole group; while it was 732.000 IU/ml (range: 2.000-9.630.000) in patients infected with genotype 1 and 444.000 IU/ml (range: 2.650- 8.330.000) in patients infected with the other genotypes (p> 0.05). Patients infected with genotype 1 were found to be older than those infected with other genotypes (47 ± 15.7 and 39.5 ± 12.2, respectively; p< 0.001). Among patients infected with different genotypes, there was no statistically significant difference in terms of genders (p> 0.05). In conclusion, the determination of HCV genotypes is of crucial importance for treatment decision-making of chronic HCV infection. Besides, it also allows monitoring the changes in the epidemiology of HCV. In this study, although genotype 1b was determined as the most common HCV genotype, the detection of other genotypes was remarkable. This finding was attributed to the presence of many foreign national people in Antalya region which was a high capacity tourism area in Turkey.