A novel method to identify routes of hepatitis C virus transmission.

ABSTRACT:

Background

We propose a new approach based on genetic distances among viral strains to infer about risk exposures and location of transmission at population level.

Methods

We re-analysed 133 viral sequences obtained during a cross-sectional survey of 4020 subjects living in a hepatitis C virus (HCV) endemic area in 2002. A permutation test was used to analyze the correlation between matrices of genetic distances in the NS5b region of all pairwise combinations of the 133 viral strains and exposure status (jointly exposed or not) to several potential HCV risk factors.

Results

Compared to subjects who did not share the same characteristics or iatrogenic exposures, the median Kimura genetic distances of viral strains were significantly smaller between brothers and sisters

SUBMITTER: Feray C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3900465 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature