Hepatitis Weekly  
   Publisher:   CW Henderson  
   Issue:   January 28, 2002  
   Page:   3  

  Epidemiology
Hepatitis C Genotypes Among The French Changes Because Of Drug Use  
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2002 JAN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer
- A French study suggests hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in that
country have changed over the past several years because of a rise in
intravenous drug use.

Intravenous drug use is a risk factor for HCV infection and
transmission. Marc Bourliere and colleagues, Saint Joseph Hospital,
France, recently characterized the nature of HCV genotypic
transformation among the French population and in intravenous drug
users in a new report published in the January 2002 issue of the
Journal of Viral Hepatitis.

"The prevalence of genotype 1b decreased from 47% before 1978 to 18.8%
in the 1990s while the prevalence of genotype 1a and 3a increased
during the same period from 18% and 15.3% to 28.8% and 26.3%,
respectively," Bourliere and coworkers said.

Statistical analysis suggested that genotype 1a was more likely to
associated with intravenous drug use whereas genotype 1b was less
likely to be associated with that activity. The genotype became more
common after 1990 (Epidemiological changes in hepatitis C virus
genotypes in France: Evidence in intravenous drug users, J Viral
Hepat, January 2002;9(1):62-70).

Genotype 3a, also highly likely to be identified in injection drug
users, was also significantly associated with tattooing. Prevalence of
HCV genotype 3a was particularly high between 1979 and 1990, according
to Bourliere's group.

Investigators attributed much of the genotypic transformation to an
increase in the number of people in France using {*filter*} {*filter*}.

"Our results show a modification of HCV genotypes distribution over
the last four decades due to an increase of intravenous drug use
contamination and an evolution of HCV genotypes distribution only in
the intravenous drug use population characterized by a decrease of
genotype 1b, an increase of genotype 2a from 1970 to 1990, and a
higher increase of genotype 1a, which is currently the pre{*filter*}
genotype in our population," the authors said.

The corresponding author for this study is Marc Bourliere,
Hepato-Gastroenterology Service, Saint Joseph Hospital, 26 Boulevard

Key points reported in this study include:

? Intravenous drug use has increased in the French population

? The increase of intravenous drug use has changed the nature of
HCV genotype distribution in France

? HCV genotypes 1a and 3a are now the most common genotypes in
France

This article was prepared by Hepatitis Weekly editors from staff and
other reports. Copyright 2002, Hepatitis Weekly via NewsRx.com.