Molecular epidemiologic analysis of three Hepatitis C virus outbreaks in the Jammu & Kashmir State, India.

We report here, 3 outbreaks of HCV infection from the Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) state of India which occurred over a period of 3 years and in which molecular epidemiological investigations identified a presumptive common source of infection, most likely a single healthcare venue. Representative blood samples, collected from cases of Hepatitis C were sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for molecular characterization. These samples were positive by HCV ELISA. Subsequently, specimens were also tested for the presence of HCV RNA by RT-PCR. Sequencing was carried out for all positive samples. A total of 812 cases were laboratory-confirmed by HCV ELISA. One hundred and fifteen samples were sent to the NCDC for RT-PCR and 77 were positive. Subtype 3a of HCV was found in all samples from Anantnag (February, 2013) and subtype 3b in all samples from Srinagar (May, 2015). Subtype 3a and 3g were identified from 2 samples from the Kulgam outbreak (July, 2014). A detailed epidemiological investigation should be conducted whenever a cluster of HCV cases is revealed, as this potentially allows for the identification of larger outbreaks. Epidemiological investigations of outbreaks should be further supported by inclusion of molecular tests. Efforts to limit therapeutic injections to only those cases having strong medical/surgical indications and restricting the use of non- sterile needles are essential to prevent transmission of HCV. PMID: 27357565 [PubMed - as ...
Source: Journal of Medical Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: J Med Microbiol Source Type: research