Transmission networks of hepatitis C virus among HIV/HCV-coinfected patients in Guangdong, China

Abstract

Background Coinfection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients due to shared routes of transmission. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of HCV subgenotypes among HIV/HCV-coinfected patients in Guangdong and explore the molecular transmission networks and related risk factors for HCV strains. Methods Plasma samples were obtained from 356 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients for HCV NS5B region sequencing. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was constructed to affirm HCV subgenotypes. The transmission networks based on maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree were determined by Cluster Picker, and visualized using Cytoscape 3.2.1. Results A total of 302 HCV NS5B sequences were successfully amplified and sequenced from the 356 plasma samples. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on the 302 NS5B sequences revealed the profile of HCV subgenotypes circulating among HIV/HCV coinfection patients in Guangdong. Two predominant strains were found to be 6a (58.28%, 176/302) and 1b (18.54%, 56/302), followed by 3a (10.93%, 33/302), 3b (6.95%, 21/302), 1a (3.64%, 11/302), 2a (0.99%, 3/302) and 6n (0.66%, 2/302). A molecular transmission network of five major HCV genotypes was constructed, with a clustering rate of 44.04%. The clustering rates of subgenotypes 1a, 3a, 3b, 1b, and 6a were 18.18% (2/11), 42.42%, 52.38%, 48.21%, and 44.89%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed no significant effects from sex, age, transmission route, geographical region, baseline CD4 + T cell count or subgenotype (P > 0.05), except marital status. Married or cohabiting people (compared with unmarried people) had more difficulty forming transmission networks. Conclusions In summary, this study, based on HCV NS5B subgenotypes, revealed the HCV subtype diversity and distribution among HIV/HCV-coinfected patients in Guangdong. Marital status inclined to be the factor influencing HCV transmission networks formation.

Transmission Network of Hepatitis C Virus Subtype 2a in Huazhou County, Shaanxi Province, China

“…In our study, only 26.2% of participants from Huazhou County were identi ed in subtype 2a phylogenetic clusters, a rate lower than those reported in similar studies among HIV/HCV coinfected patients in Guangdong (44.0%) [7] and Dehong (39.1%) [9], China, as well as among drug users in Vancouver, Canada (31.0%) [16]. The variations in the study populations might have accounted for the different results.…”

“…Analyzing clusters of highly similar HCV sequences allows for the identi cation of potential linkages that could uncover transmission routes among highly related individuals. Moreover, the development of HCV transmission networks, particularly among HIV/HCV coinfected populations, through combining genetic with epidemiological data, has been crucial for identifying transmission patterns and designing targeted interventions for highrisk populations [7][8][9]. However, such research is limited in Shaanxi Province.…”

Phylogenetic Analysis of Hepatitis C Virus Infections in a Large Belgian Cohort Using Next-Generation Sequencing of Full-Length Genomes

“…We used Cluster Picker to identify clusters using the common cut-off for genetic distances of 4% [14,15,41] with a minimum bootstrap support threshold of 90%, but we performed a sensitivity analysis using a range of genetic distances between 2% and 8% (see Table 2). As we are interested in onwards local transmission, only initial clusters with two or more sequences from the cohort described here were considered for cluster transmission analysis.…”

“…Viral sequence data can be used to infer the nature of transmission networks and the momentum with which the active clusters sustain the HCV epidemic. Risk factors associated with ongoing transmission as well as the potential spill-over between key populations can be defined when the viral sequence data is annotated with these metadata [13][14][15][16][17][18]. However, obtaining HCV sequencing data is challenging due to the high genetic variability of HCV with more than 90 recognized subtypes distributed across eight genotypes [19].…”

Hepatitis C virus subtype diversity and transmission clusters characteristics among drug users in Zhuhai, South China

“…The 1b and 2a are still the most prevalent subtypes in Mainland China, particularly in northern and central regions [ 7 , 20 , 21 ]. However, this situation is becoming increasingly complicated nowadays as more than 40% of newly detected cases in Southeast China were found to be GT6 and GT3, which was primarily linked to the widespread usage of addictive intravenous drugs [ 7 , 13 , 21 ].…”