Emergence of HCV genotype 6 and its new variants among intravenous drug users in Manipur, a north-eastern state of India
Background: Manipur, a north-eastern state of India, has a high incidence of intravenous drug use with an equally high prevalence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the impact of certain risk factors enhancing the susceptibility of acquirin...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/20499361251351302 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Background: Manipur, a north-eastern state of India, has a high incidence of intravenous drug use with an equally high prevalence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the impact of certain risk factors enhancing the susceptibility of acquiring HCV. Design: A total of 1008 participants from various risk groups, from nine districts across the state, were enrolled. Blood samples along with demographic data were collected from the study participants. Methods: HCV RNA was isolated and nested RT-PCR was performed followed by Sanger sequencing for genotyping. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies were further conducted. Results: Of the total, 493 (48.90%) samples were HCV sero-reactive. Among the sero-reactive samples, 406 (82.35%) were HCV RNA positive. In case of the subgroup PWID + HIV, sero-reactivity (82.22%) and viremia (90.54%) were observed to be exceptionally high. It was noted that HCV sero-reactivity increased four times in people living with HIV (PLHIV) who continued to inject drugs. Three HCV genotypes and eight subtypes were circulating in this study population. Conclusion: In PLHIV who continued to inject drugs, HCV sero-reactivity increased four-fold. About 40% of the population living with HCV belonged to genotype 6, while genotype 1 showed a noticeable decline. Phylogeographic analyses and spatiotemporal reconstructions revealed that most of the subtypes migrated from far south-east Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Singapore. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2049-937X |