Distribution of Genotypes of Hepatitis C Virus Studied in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Uttarakhand, India: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Introduction: With more than one million cases of Hepatitis C viral infection reported annually, it has become a major global problem. Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is classified into 7 genotypes and 67 subtypes. Various genotypes show a wide geographical distribution worldwide. Genotypes 1 and 3 are the most common genotypes reported from India. There is minimal data available on the distribution and frequency of HCV genotypes in Uttarakhand. Aim: This three years retrospective study was undertaken to find out the distribution pattern of HCV genotypes among HCV- infected patients attending a tertiary care hospital in this Sub- Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Materials and Methods: A total of 306 samples were tested for HCV genotyping in 3 years duration i.e., January 2018 to December 2020 at the Molecular Laboratory of Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health sciences and associated Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital, Dehradun. Genotyping was performed using HCV genotype specific Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) assay on Rotor-Gene Q using TRUPCR HCV Genotyping Kit (3B BlackBio Biotech India Ltd.,) as per manufacturer’s instructions. This test kit detects HCV genotypes 1, 1a, 2 (2a/ 2b), 3, 4, 5a, and 6. Results: Genotype 3 (72.7%) was the commonest genotype detected, followed by genotype 1 (13%), genotype 1a (6.25%) and genotype 4 (2.8%). Genotype 3 was the most dominant genotype in all the 3 years of the study. Two cases of genotype 5a (1.13%) and three cases of genotype 6 (1.7%) were also detected in our study. We also detected a case of mixed infection by genotype 1 and genotype 6. Conclusion: The most common genotype detected was three during the study period. Detection of genotype 5a and 6 ascertained the impact of interstate migration of people.

Keywords

• genotyping
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• real-time pcr
• viral infection