Prospective Study
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World J Gastroenterol. May 21, 2014; 20(19): 5897-5902
Published online May 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i19.5897
Determining hepatitis C virus genotype distribution among high-risk groups in Iran using real-time PCR
Marzieh Jamalidoust, Mandana Namayandeh, Sadaf Asaei, Nasrin Aliabadi, Mazyar Ziyaeyan
Marzieh Jamalidoust, Mandana Namayandeh, Sadaf Asaei, Nasrin Aliabadi, Mazyar Ziyaeyan, Department of Virology, Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71937-11351, Iran
Marzieh Jamalidoust, Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115-331, Iran
Author contributions: Jamalidoust M and Ziyaeyan M designed the study; Jamalidoust M wrote the manuscript; Namayandeh M, Aliabadi N and Ziyaeyan M performed the experiments; Jamalidoust M and Asaei S collected the data and performed the statistical analysis.
Supported by Grant No.91-17 awarded by Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Fars, Iran
Correspondence to: Mazyar Ziyaeyan, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Virology, Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71937-11351, Iran. ziyaeyanm@sums.ac.ir
Telephone: +98-711-6474304 Fax: +98-711-6474303
Received: July 23, 2013
Revised: October 2, 2013
Accepted: December 5, 2013
Published online: May 21, 2014
Processing time: 299 Days and 0.3 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: The primary treatment method in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, determination of evolution pathways, assessment of epidemiological status, and knowledge of HCV genotype distribution among high-risk groups such as addicts are very important. We assessed the different HCV genotypes among illicit drug users and other high-risk groups during a 4-year period from 2009 to 2012 using real-time PCR. We found that the most affected high-risk groups were illicit drug users and specified the respective age distribution and risk factors. An important finding in this research was the genotype pattern shift from 3 to 1, especially among addicts.