La frecuencia del genotipo 1 del virus de hepatitis C no ha variado en Venezuela Hepatitis C Virus genotype 1 frequency has not varied in Venezuela

Summary Changes in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes distribution and frequency have been reported in some coun- tries including Venezuela. We analyze the frequency of the HCV genotypes in our country evaluating a possi- ble distribution change at national level. Eight hundred and nine sera of patients infected by HCV coming from Caracas and of 11 Venezuelan states were investigated by means of PCR-RFLP. In 527 sera we identifi ed the genotype 1 (65.1%), 34.4% showed genotype 2 while genotypes 3, 4 nd 5 were highly uncommon. Of 316 patients infected with genotype 1, 56% showed levels of HCV RNA < 600.000 IU/mL and 44% levels superior to this cut-off. We demonstrate that the distribution and frequency of HCV genotypes remains unaffected in Venezuela, with prevalence of the genotype 1b and near the half with high viral load.