Identification of 19 novel Hepatitis C virus subtypes - further expanding HCV classification

Journal article

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is currently classified into 8 genotypes and 86 subtypes. The objective of this study was to characterize novel HCV subtypes and to investigate the impact of subtypes on treatment outcome.

Methods: Full-genome sequencing was performed on HCV plasma samples with <85% sequence homology of NS3, NS5A, and/or NS5B to HCV genotype (GT) 1–8 reference strains.

Results: A total of 14 653 patients with GT1–6 HCV infection were enrolled in clinical studies of sofosbuvir-based regimens. For the majority of the patients, a specific subtype could be assigned based on a close genetic relationship to previously described subtypes. However, for 19 patients, novel subtypes were identified with <85% homology compared with previously described subtypes. These novel subtypes had the following genotypes: 9 in GT2, 5 in GT4, 2 in GT6, and 1 each in GT1, GT3, and GT5. Despite the presence of polymorphisms at resistance-associated substitution positions, 18 of the 19 patients treated with sofosbuvir-containing therapy achieved SVR12.

Conclusions: Nineteen novel HCV subtypes were identified, suggesting an even greater genetic diversity of HCV subtypes than previously recognized.

Authors: Hedskog, C; Parhy, B; Chang, S; Zeuzem, S; Moreno, C

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: Open Forum Infectious Diseases
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 3
• Article number: ofz076
• Publication date: 2019-02-22
• Acceptance date: 2019-02-19
• DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofz076
• EISSN: 2328-8957
• Pmid: 30949527
• Language: English
• Keywords: resistance-associated substitutions (RAS); sofosbuvir; voxilaprevir; direct-acting antivirals (DAAs); velpatasvir; phylogenetic analysis; FFR