[Genetic variations of hepatitis C virus circulating in the Ural region].

A study of distributions of different genetic variations (subtypes) of hepatitis C virus (HCV), circulating in the territories of Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk among infected population categories of different social statuses and age, is reported in the paper. The predominance of 1b subtype was shown in the HCV-infected patients at the hemodialysis center (HDC) and at the pediatric oncohematology center (OHC), 83.3% and 84.6% respectively. The summarized results of examinations of patients conducted at HCV-infection departments (97 persons) did not reveal any essential differences between the data, obtained for Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, concerning the distributions of HCV subtypes. However, according to an analysis made in cities of the Urals region, the prevalence of 1b subtype in Chelyabinsk was 2-fold higher than that of 3a subtype, whereas in Yekaterinburg there was an equal ratio (1:1) between the above subtypes. Besides, unequal distributions of HCV subtypes were registered in different age groups. 3a subtype was found to be predominant in patients aged 15 to 27, and prevalence of 1b subtype persisted in persons aged below 15 and above 27. The conclusion is that the redistributed occurrence rates of separate HCV subtypes, with their spectrum in mentioned territories being preserved, is associated with a growing number of young drug-addicts who are more often get infected with 3a subtype.