Distribution of Hepatitis C virus genotypes among newly acquired HCV infections in British Columbia (2000-2013).

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Characterization of newly acquired Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections is important in order to understand the epidemiology and spread of HCV. OBJECTIVE: To describe the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype distribution of newly acquired HCV infections in the province of British Columbia for the period 2000-2013. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional analysis of multi-year data on HCV genotypes. Time trends for the proportion of different HCV genotypes are presented only for newly acquired (incident) HCV infections. RESULTS: For acute cases, genotype 1a remains the dominant HCV type in circulation (50%), followed by genotype 3a (34%). HCV genotype 1b declined, while genotype 2 was relatively stable. Phylogenetically-related clusters of HCV strains were observed indicating a common source of infection. CONCLUSION: Enhanced hepatitis surveillance provides a mechanism for monitoring different HCV strains currently circulating in the community. While HCV genotype 1a continues to be the most prevalent, changes in the relative frequency of genotypes 1 and 3 have been observed. This may have important implications for the control and prevention of the infection.