Phylogenetic analysis of hepatitis C virus infections in a large Belgian cohort using next-generation sequencing of full-length genomes

Abstract: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic in Western countries is primarily perpetuated by the sub-populations of men who have sex with men (MSM) and people who inject drugs (PWID). Understanding the dynamics of transmission in these communities is crucial for removing the remaining hurdles towards HCV elimination. We sequenced 269 annotated HCV plasma samples using probe enrichment and next-generation sequencing, obtaining 224 open reading frames of HCV (OR497849-OR498072). Maximum likelihood phylogenies were generated on the four most prevalent subtypes in this study (HCV1a, 1b, 3a, 4d)... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Christensen, Kasper T.
Pierard, Florian
Bonsall, David
Bowden, Rory
Barnes, Eleanor
Florence, Eric
Ansari, M. Azim
Nguyen, Dung
de Cesare, Mariateresa
Nevens, Frederik
Robaeys, Geert
Schrooten, Yoeri
Busschots, Dana
Simmonds, Peter
Vandamme, Anne-Mieke
Van Wijngaerden, Eric
Dierckx, Tim
Cuypers, Lize
Van Laethem, Kristel
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
Schlagwörter: Human medicine
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26527703
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://hdl.handle.net/10067/2028440151162165141

Abstract: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic in Western countries is primarily perpetuated by the sub-populations of men who have sex with men (MSM) and people who inject drugs (PWID). Understanding the dynamics of transmission in these communities is crucial for removing the remaining hurdles towards HCV elimination. We sequenced 269 annotated HCV plasma samples using probe enrichment and next-generation sequencing, obtaining 224 open reading frames of HCV (OR497849-OR498072). Maximum likelihood phylogenies were generated on the four most prevalent subtypes in this study (HCV1a, 1b, 3a, 4d) with a subsequent transmission cluster analysis. The highest rate of clustering was observed for HCV4d samples (13/17 (76.47%)). The second highest rate of clustering was observed in HCV1a samples (42/78 (53.85%)) with significant association with HIV-positive MSM. HCV1b and HCV3a had very low rates of clustering (2/83 (2.41%) and (0/29)). The spread of the prevalent subtype HCV1b appears to have been largely curtailed, and we demonstrate the onwards transmission of HCV1a and HCV4d in the HIV-positive MSM population across municipal borders. More systematic data collection and sequencing is needed to allow a better understanding of the HCV transmission among the community of PWID and overcome the remaining barriers for HCV elimination in Belgium.