New variant of Hepatitis C Virus genotype 1b in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected patient in Benin City, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Background: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) disease severity and treatment outcome are affected by circulating genotype. Data on genotypic prevalence of HCV among HIV infected patients in Nigeria is sparse. Against this background this study aimed at determining the genotypic prevalence of HCV among HIV infected patients in Benin City, Nigeria. Methods:  A cross-sectional study was conducted among 564 HIV infected patients to determine the type and frequency of HCV genotypes among them. Four hundred and thirty-one (431) of these patients were on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Sera obtained from study participants were used to screen for antibodies to HCV using immuno-chromatographic test kits. Hepatitis C Virus nucleic acid HCV-RNA was extracted from HCV seropositive sera and the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of HCV amplified using specific primers, with the resulting amplicons sequenced on an ABI 350xL automated sequencer. Results: HAART did not significantly affect the sero-prevalence of HCV infection. (HAART naïve vs. HAART exposed) 1.5% vs. 0.9%; OR= 1.630, 95% CI = 0.295, 9.002, P = 0.9344). Of the six patients with HCV antibodies, only 1(16.7%) had detectable HCV-RNA in serum, and the isolate was identified as HCV genotype 1b, which did not cluster around other HCV genotype 1b isolates of Nigerian origin. Conclusions: This study reports a novel variant of HCV genotype 1b in Nigeria