ISSN 2736-1756
Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research ISSN 2241-9837 Vol. 13 (3), pp. 001-003, March, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Short Communication
Genotyping of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in infected patients from Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Ali M. Marie
Clinical Laboratory Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P. O. Box 10219 Riyadh 11433, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +96614696022.
Accepted 15 January, 2019
Abstract
A molecular study was carried to investigate the prevalence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in HCV infected population of Saudi Arabia. A total of HCV-positive clinical specimens (serum, EDTA plasma) with viral loads above 2,000 IU/ml were collected for genotyping. Genotyping of 358 samples revealed four different genotypes including 1 (1a and 1b), 2a, 3 (3a) and 4. The most prevalent genotype was 4 with rate of 74.2% followed by genotype 3 (11.7%) and 1a (3.9%). The predominance of HCV genotype 4 in our population confirms the predominance of HCV genotype 4 in Saudi Arabia and most of the Arab countries in the Middle East.
Key words: Hepatitis C virus (HCV), genotypes, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.