DISTRIBUTION OF 3 MAJOR HEPATITIS-C VIRUS GENOTYPES IN ITALY - A MULTICENTER STUDY OF 495 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C

Different genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been shown to have distinct geographical distribution and to associate with variable cli nical features. To evaluate their role in chronic hepatitis in Italian patients, we studied 495 consecutive cases with chronic hepatitis C s een in nine sentinel centres homogeneously distributed over Italy. HCV genotyping was carried out using a dot-blot hybridization assay with genotype-specific probes. Four hundred and eleven patients were viraem ic and could be evaluated: 57% were found to be infected with HCV-1, 3 1% with HCV-2, 8% with HCV-3, 1% showed mixed infection and 3% were as cribed to HCV-2b or HCV-4 by direct sequencing. Geographical distribut ion showed discrete territorial variations. A history of drug addictio n was commoner in patients infected with HCV-3. There were no signific ant differences in activity of liver disease among different HCV genot ypes bur the response to interferon therapy was reduced in patients in fected with HCV-1 compared to HCV-2 or HCV-3.