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World J Gastroenterol. May 21, 2014; 20(19): 5897-5902
Published online May 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i19.5897
Published online May 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i19.5897
Determining hepatitis C virus genotype distribution among high-risk groups in Iran using real-time PCR
Marzieh Jamalidoust, Mandana Namayandeh, Sadaf Asaei, Nasrin Aliabadi, Mazyar Ziyaeyan, Department of Virology, Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71937-11351, Iran
Marzieh Jamalidoust, Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115-331, Iran
Author contributions: Jamalidoust M and Ziyaeyan M designed the study; Jamalidoust M wrote the manuscript; Namayandeh M, Aliabadi N and Ziyaeyan M performed the experiments; Jamalidoust M and Asaei S collected the data and performed the statistical analysis.
Supported by Grant No.91-17 awarded by Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Fars, Iran
Correspondence to: Mazyar Ziyaeyan, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Virology, Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71937-11351, Iran. ziyaeyanm@sums.ac.ir
Telephone: +98-711-6474304 Fax: +98-711-6474303
Received: July 23, 2013
Revised: October 2, 2013
Accepted: December 5, 2013
Published online: May 21, 2014
Revised: October 2, 2013
Accepted: December 5, 2013
Published online: May 21, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: The primary treatment method in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, determination of evolution pathways, assessment of epidemiological status, and knowledge of HCV genotype distribution among high-risk groups such as addicts are very important. We assessed the different HCV genotypes among illicit drug users and other high-risk groups during a 4-year period from 2009 to 2012 using real-time PCR. We found that the most affected high-risk groups were illicit drug users and specified the respective age distribution and risk factors. An important finding in this research was the genotype pattern shift from 3 to 1, especially among addicts.