Hepatitis C virus infection and genotypes in Southern Israel and the Gaza strip

Abstract

The Gaza Strip borders the southern part of Israel and Egypt. There is a remarkable difference in the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) between Israel (0.5%) and Egypt (10%). A few thousand inhabitants cross the borders daily from the Gaza Strip to both countries. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of HCV infection in the Gaza Strip, an area that was not studied before, and to study HCV transmission in the Gaza Strip by characterizing the genotypes of HCV in Southern Israel and the Gaza Strip and comparing them with those found in Egypt. HCV prevalence in the Gaza Strip was found to be 2.2%, relatively higher than in Israel but lower than in Egypt. The most common genotypes found were type 1 b in Southern Israel and type 4 in the Gaza Strip, corresponding to the most prevalent genotype in Egypt. Similarity between type 4 isolates from the Gaza Strip and Egypt was illustrated further by sequence analysis of the HCV 5' noncoding region (NCR).

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“…The exceptional occurrence of genotype 4 in southern Turkey is in favor of such a hypothesis. This particular genotype is endemic in Egypt and highly prevalent in the other Middle East countries with the exception of Israel [8,9]. It appears that the genotype 4 did not propagate from these countries towards Turkey.…”

“…In Egypt, Hepatitis C is an endemic disease that is associated with genotype 4, almost exclusively [8]. Similarly, genotype 4 is also predominant in the Gaza region, but not in Israel where subtype 1b is predominant [9]. The distribution of HCV genotypes in liver disease patients living in Syria, Iraq and Iran is unknown.…”

Update on the Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Iranian General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Based on the published literature, the seroprevalence of HCV infection in Iranian general population is lower compared to other countries in the Middle East region. The general population-based studies that have assessed the prevalence of HCV infection in the middleeast countries include two studies from Turkey with the reported seroprevalence of 1% and 2.1% (21,22), a study from the Gaza strip with the reported seroprevalence of 2.2% (23), and a systematic review study from Yemen with the reported seroprevalence of 1.7% (24). Based on expert consensus, the seroprevalence of HCV infection is estimated to be 1.5% among United Arab Emirates general population (3).…”

Epidemiology and viral risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in the Eastern Mediterranean countries

“…The distribution of HCV genotype in Jordan differed from the other Arab countries, predominantly genotype 1a (40%), followed by genotype 1b (33%) and genotype 4 (33.3%) [60] . The most common genotype in Southern Israel was genotype 1b (62%) while genotype 4 (78%) was predominant in the Gaza Strip [61] . Turkey serves as a bridge between Europe and Asia, and HCV genotype pattern is similar to Eastern and Southern European countries, having genotype 1b as the most frequent genotype (> 70%) followed by genotype 1a [62] .…”