Distribution of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes Among Chronic Infected Injecting Drug Users in Tehran, Iran

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the main cause of infection that has the potential to cause chronic liver disease. Injecting drug users (IDUs) have a key role in HCV transmission in Iran. Knowledge of the distribution of various genotypes is essential for successful future research and control strategies. The aim of this study was to identify HCV genotypes among chronic infected injecting drug users (IDUs) in Tehran, Iran. Patients and In this cross sectional study, we investigated HCV genotypes among 36 plasma samples from HCV infected IDUs (35 male and 1female, mean age: 33.67, and age range 20-62 years), referred to Research Center of Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization(IBTO) in Tehran from December 2008 to March 2009.HCV Genotyping was performed using type-specific primers. Genotypes 3a, 1a and 1b were found in 58.3 %, 25% and 16.7 % patients, respectively. Our study demonstrated the high prevalence of genotype 3a among injecting drug users, which is also found in Europe and United states.