Pattern of hepatitis C virus genotypes and subtypes circulating in war-stricken Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: Review of published literature

Publication date: Available online 7 November 2017 Source:Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine Author(s): Abdul Waheed Khan, Sadia Nawab, Zeeshan Nasim, Abdul Haleem Khan, Syed Ishfaq Ahmad, Fazli Zahir, Israr Ud Din Infection due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in Pakistan. In the current review, pattern of HCV genotypes and subtypes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was ascertained in light of the available literature. After thorough analysis, genotype 3 (58.27%) was determined to be the leading HCV genotype, followed by genotypes 2 (12.39%), 1 (9.54%) and 4 (0.86%). The proportions of genotypes 5 and 6 were recorded as 0.09% and 0.22% respectively. Subtype wise, 3a accounted for 48.67%, followed by subtype 2a (10.91%), 3b (9.43%), 1a (5.84%), 1b (3.66%), 2b (1.45%) and genotype 4 with its undefined subtypes contributed a portion of 0.86%. The cumulative share of subtypes 1c, 2c, 3c, 5a and 6a was less than 1%. In 11.51% cases, the subtype was untypeable while in 7.17% cases mixed subtypes were recorded. Gender wise, proportions of most HCV subtypes were marginally higher among males as compared to females. On the basis of studied groups, 3a was pervasive among all groups except in intravenous drug users where 2a was the major HCV subtype. Similarly, based on various geographical locations (provincial divisions), subtype 3a revealed a ubiquitous distribution. Conclusively, HCV 3a persists to be the principal s...
Source: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine - Category: Tropical Medicine Source Type: research