Hepatitis C and Human Pegivirus Coinfection in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C from the Brazilian Amazon Region: Prevalence, Genotypes and Clinical Data
Patrícia Ferreira Nunes,
Evelen da Cruz Coelho,
Joseane Rodrigues da Silva,
Camila Carla da Silva Costa,
Regiane Miranda Arnund Sampaio,
Paula Cristina Rodrigues Frade,
Nagib Abdon Ponteira,
Samara Silveira da Cruz,
Aline Damasceno Seabra,
Debora Monteiro Carneiro,
Rommel Mario Rodriguez Burbano,
Luisa Caricio Martins
Affiliations
Patrícia Ferreira Nunes
Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Laboratório de Patologia Clínica das Doenças Tropicais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66055-240, PA, Brazil
Evelen da Cruz Coelho
Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Laboratório de Patologia Clínica das Doenças Tropicais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66055-240, PA, Brazil
Joseane Rodrigues da Silva
Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Laboratório de Patologia Clínica das Doenças Tropicais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66055-240, PA, Brazil
Camila Carla da Silva Costa
Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Laboratório de Patologia Clínica das Doenças Tropicais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66055-240, PA, Brazil
Regiane Miranda Arnund Sampaio
Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Laboratório de Patologia Clínica das Doenças Tropicais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66055-240, PA, Brazil
Paula Cristina Rodrigues Frade
Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Laboratório de Patologia Clínica das Doenças Tropicais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66055-240, PA, Brazil
Nagib Abdon Ponteira
Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Laboratório de Patologia Clínica das Doenças Tropicais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66055-240, PA, Brazil
Samara Silveira da Cruz
Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Hospital Ophir Loyola, Belém 66063-240, PA, Brazil
Aline Damasceno Seabra
Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Hospital Ophir Loyola, Belém 66063-240, PA, Brazil
Debora Monteiro Carneiro
Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Hospital Ophir Loyola, Belém 66063-240, PA, Brazil
Rommel Mario Rodriguez Burbano
Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Hospital Ophir Loyola, Belém 66063-240, PA, Brazil
Luisa Caricio Martins
Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Laboratório de Patologia Clínica das Doenças Tropicais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66055-240, PA, Brazil
Coinfection of HPgV-1 with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common due to shared modes of transmission, with a prevalence of HPgV-1 viremia of approximately 20% among individuals with chronic HCV infection. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of HPgV-1 RNA and circulating genotypes in patients with hepatitis C from a health service located in the city of Belém, in the state of Pará, Northern Brazil. A total of 147 samples were included in the study from February to December 2019. Among the participants, 72.1% (106/147) were monoinfected with HCV, with detectable HCV viral RNA, and 27.9% (41/147) were coinfected with HCV/HPgV-1. The most frequently found genotypes were HPgV-1 genotypes 1 and 2 (36.6% and 63.4%), respectively. While for HCV there was a predominance of genotypes 1 and 3 (58.5% and 41.5%). No significant differences were found when comparing any risk, sociodemographic, or clinical factors between groups. Also, there was no statistically significant difference when relating the viral genotypes of both agents. This study indicated that the prevalence of infection by HPgV-1 is high in HCV carriers in Belém, Pará, and probably does not change the clinical course of HCV infection, however, further studies are still needed.
