IL-8 is associated with non-viremic state and IFN-γ with biochemical activity in HCV-seropositive blood donors.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore a possible association between the pattern of serum cytokines with the virological and biochemical status of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-seropositive blood donors. METHODS: 23 non-viremic and 33 viremic HCV-seropositive blood donors based on HCV-RNA tests, and 29 healthy individuals were included. Cytometric bead array assays were performed to detect cytokines. RESULTS: The subjects were classified as low, medium or high cytokine producers based on the tertile distribution. The absence of detectable viremia was associated with high IL-1ß and IL-8 producers. Conversely, elevated levels of IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12 were associated with detectable viremia. An increased frequency of high IL-1ß producers was observed frequently in the non-viremic recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA)-indeterminate subjects, while the high IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-12 producers were more frequent in the non-viremic RIBA-positive subjects. Furthermore, the levels of IL-1ß and IL-8 were higher in viremic subjects with a low level of alanine-aminotransferase (ALT), whereas the level of IFN-γ was increased among viremic subjects with a high ALT level. CONCLUSION: IL-1ß and IL-8 were more likely to be associated with a non-viremic or less severe HCV infection, whereas IL-2 and IFN-γ levels correlated with a high ALT level.

Prevalence and genotypes of hepatitis C virus among injecting drug users from Salvador-BA, Brazil.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major infectious disease agent among injecting drug users (IDUs), with seroprevalence ranging from 50-90%. In this paper, serological and virological parameters were investigated among 194 IDUs, 94 ex-IDUs and 95 non-IDUs that were sampled by the "snowball" technique in three localities renowned for both intense drug use and trafficking activities in Salvador, Brazil. The majority of the participants were male, but sex and mean age differed significantly between IDUs/ex-IDUs and non-IDUs (p < 0.05). Anti-HCV screening revealed that 35.6%, 29.8% and 5.3% of samples from IDUs, ex-IDUs and non-IDUs, respectively, were seropositive. HCV-RNA detection confirmed that the prevalence of infection was 29.4%, 21.3% and 5.3% for IDUs, ex-IDUs and non-IDUs, respectively. Genotyping analysis among IDUs/ex-IDUs determined that 76.9% were infected with genotype 1, 18.5% with genotype 3 and 4.6% with a mixed genotype; this result differed significantly from non-IDUs, where genotype 3 was the most frequent (60%), followed by genotype 1 (20%) and a mixed genotype (20%). We report a significantly higher prevalence of HCV infection in IDUs/ex-IDUs compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Although the sample size of our study was small, the differences in HCV genotype distribution reported herein for IDUs/ex-IDUs and non-IDUs warrant further investigation.

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in north-eastern Brazil: a population-based study.

In general, the prevalence and genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) are estimated based on the ambulatory clinic or hospital population. In the present work, a population-based study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of HCV infection in Salvador, Brazil. A total of 1308 serum samples were collected from 30 "sentinel areas", and the prevalence of HCV infection was determined by ELISA and confirmed by recombinant immunoblot assay and RT-PCR. The overall prevalence of HCV infection was 1.5% (20/1308). Prevalence was greater among those aged 35 years or older and those with more education. Genotype 3 was the most common (53.3%), followed by genotypes 1 (40%) and 2 (6.7%). These observations are different from those found in a prior survey of hospital and ambulatory patients in Salvador, who were most frequently infected with genotype 1, followed by genotypes 3 and 2, respectively.

Prevalence and genotypes of hepatitis C virus among injecting drug users from Salvador-BA, Brazil

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major infectious disease agent among injecting drug users (IDUs), with seroprevalence ranging from 50-90 percent. In this paper, serological and virological parameters were investigated among 194 IDUs, 94 ex-IDUs and 95 non-IDUs that were sampled by the "snowball" technique in three localities renowned for both intense drug use and trafficking activities in Salvador, Brazil. The majority of the participants were male, but sex and mean age differed significantly between IDUs/ex-IDUs and non-IDUs (p < 0.05). Anti-HCV screening revealed that 35.6 percent, 29.8 percent and 5.3 percent of samples from IDUs, ex-IDUs and non-IDUs, respectively, were seropositive. HCV-RNA detection confirmed that the prevalence of infection was 29.4 percent, 21.3 percent and 5.3 percent for IDUs, ex-IDUs and non-IDUs, respectively. Genotyping analysis among IDUs/ex-IDUs determined that 76.9 percent were infected with genotype 1, 18.5 percent with genotype 3 and 4.6 percent with a mixed genotype; this result differed significantly from non-IDUs, where genotype 3 was the most frequent (60 percent), followed by genotype 1 (20 percent) and a mixed genotype (20 percent). We report a significantly higher prevalence of HCV infection in IDUs/ex-IDUs compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Although the sample size of our study was small, the differences in HCV genotype distribution reported herein for IDUs/ex-IDUs and non-IDUs warrant further investigation.