The epidemic dynamics of hepatitis C virus subtypes 4a and 4d in Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT: The relatedness between viral variants sampled at different locations through time can provide information pertinent to public health that cannot readily be obtained through standard surveillance methods. Here, we use virus genetic data to identify the transmission dynamics that drive the hepatitis C virus subtypes 4a (HCV4a) and 4d (HCV4d) epidemics in Saudi Arabia. We use a comprehensive dataset of newly generated and publicly available sequence data to infer the HCV4a and HCV4d evolutionary histories in a Bayesian statistical framework. We also introduce a novel analytical method for an objective assessment of the migration intensity between locations. We find that international host mobility patterns dominate over within country spread in shaping the Saudi Arabia HCV4a epidemic, while

SUBMITTER: Al-Qahtani AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5359580 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature