HEPATITIS C VIRUS GENOTYPE DISTRIBUTION AMONGST HCV POSITIVE PATIENTS PRESENTING AT A PRIVATE TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF PESHAWAR, KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

Introduction : Hepatitis C, a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), often results in chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV has different genotypic geographic distribution as well as genetic diversity and heterogeneity. The present study was conducted to find out the frequencies of different HCV Genotypes in patients referred to a tertiary care hospital of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, and to determine correlations, if any, between Genotype, age, viral load, gender and nationality. Materials & Methods: The present descriptive study was conducted in the Pathology laboratory of Rehman Medical Institute (RMI), Peshawar over a period of 8 months (August 2015 to March 2016). Blood samples of 36 HCV positive patients (by ELISA) were included for study. RNA samples of HCV positive patients were subjected to genotyping using Single Linear Array HCV Genotyping strip (Roche Diagnostic) by hybridization method. The Linear Array HCV Genotyping Strip results were read visually by comparing the pattern of blue bands to a reference table of Genotype patterns. HCV genotyping data were analyzed by SPSS version 16.0. Viral load association with HCV Genotypes, age, gender and nationality were assessed by Chi-square test with p≤0.05 considered significant. Results : Of 36 patients, 24 (70.6%) were from Pakistan and 10 (29.4%) from Afghanistan. The ages of these subjects ranged from 20-60 years with male to female ratio of 1:1. Amongst them, HCV Genotype was positive in 34 (94.4%) cases. The most frequent Genotype found was Genotype 3. Genotype 3 alone was found in 24 (70.6%) patients and Genotype 1 alone in 01 (02.9%) patient.  The combination of Genotype 3 and 4 was found in 06 (17.6%) patients, while the combination of 1 and 3 was found in 03 (08.8%) patients. No association was found between Genotype and viral load, age, gender and nationality. Conclusion: HCV Genotype 3 was the most frequent genotype, similar to other studies carried out in different regions of Pakistan. Key Words: Polymerase Chain Reaction; Genotype; Hepatitis C Virus; Hepatitis, Chronic; Hepatic cirrhosis; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular.