Transmission of hepatitis C virus infection among younger and older people who inject drugs in Vancouver, Canada.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Understanding HCV transmission among people who inject drugs (PWID) is important for designing prevention strategies. This study investigated whether HCV infection among younger injectors occurs from few or many transmission events from older injectors to younger injectors among PWID in Vancouver, Canada.

Methods

HCV antibody positive participants at enrolment or follow-up (1996-2012) were tested for HCV RNA and sequenced (Core-E2). Time-stamped phylogenetic trees were inferred using Bayesian Evolutionary Analysis Sampling Trees (BEAST). Association of age with phylogeny was tested using statistics implemented in the software Bayesian Tip Significance (BaTS) testing. Factors associated with clustering (maximum cluster age: five years) were identified using

SUBMITTER: Jacka B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4874854 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature