HEPATITIS-C VIRUS GENOTYPES IN DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE FORMER SOVIET-UNION (RUSSIA, BYELARUS, MOLDOVA, AND UZBEKISTAN)

The prevalence of HCV genotypes in four republics of the former Soviet Union (Russia, Belarus, Moldova, and Uzbekistan) was investigated. Ov erall, 197 HCV isolates from 66 blood donors and 131 patients with chr onic hepatitis were typed. Viral sequences from sera of infected subje cts were amplified by nested RT-PCR using primers from the core region and typed by one or two techniques: (1) DNA enzyme immunoassay (DEIA) and (2) PCR with a set of type-specific primers. Only three major HCV genotypes were identified in this study population. HCV Ib was found to be the predominant virus type both among blood donors and chronic h epatitis patients, followed by 3a, 2a, and 1a (chronic hepatitis patie nts: 1b-82%; 3a-10%; 2a-4%, 1a-5% and 2c-1%; blood donors: 1b-77%; 3a- 17%; and 2a-6%). No significant difference in genotype distribution wa s observed between different countries or between blood donors and chr onic hepatitis patients within the same country. Results of the genoty ping procedures were confirmed by direct sequencing of 216 nt PCR frag ments corresponding to part of HCV core gene. Phylogenetic analysis of HCV Ib sequences from this study and from the Genbank demonstrated th at the sequences from the former Soviet Union do not form evolutionary lineage(s) different from those of strains of the same subtype circul ating in other geographical regions. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.