Hepatitis C virus genotypes in a cohort of Australian blood donors and haemophiliac and liver transplant patients

The aim of the present, study was to characterize hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes using the INNO-LiPA HCV line probe assay and direct sequencing from three different HCV-RNA-positive (serum) groups: (i) blood donors (n = 59); (ii) haemophiliacs (n = 43); and (iii) patients undergoing liver transplantation (n = 26). Of 128 HCV-RNA-positive samples, 74 (58%) were genotype 1. Of these, 41 were genotype 1a, 32 were genotype 1b and one was genotype 1 indeterminate. Of the remaining 54 samples, seven (5%) were genotype 2a, two (2%) were genotype 2b, 26 (20%) were genotype 3a, three (2%) were genotype 4a, while 16 (12.5%) were of a mixed genotype. There was no significant difference between the three groups with regard to the prevalence of any specific genotype. However, in blood donors and haemophiliac patients there was a statistically significant difference in the occurrence of genotype 3a in patients with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (30.3%) compared with those patients with persistently normal ALT levels (5.6%; P=0.004; chi(2)) Genotype 3a was also uncommon in liver transplant patients (one of 14) with 'sporadic' HCV infection. Genotype tl-a was detected only in liver transplant patients. These patients had originated from Egypt (n = 1), Italy (n = 1) and Romania (n = 1).