Prevelance and molecular characterization of hepatitis C (HCV) among patients in Thi-Qar province

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a pathogen that leads to a serious liver ailment. Annually, HCV-related liver disorders claim the lives of approximately 350,000 to 500,000 individuals, while the number of people globally who are chronically infected with the virus stands at around 130-150 million. Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted by needle sharing, blood transfusions, and accidental exposure to infected blood. The detection of widespread HCV infection can be achieved through the use of immunoassays, immunoblot assays, or more recently, rapid procedures based on immunochromatography. These tests detect the presence of antiHCV IgG antibodies. Distinguishing between an ongoing HCV infection and a previously treated one is impossible. Performing HCV RNA testing is costly yet essential for ascertaining the presence of a current infection. The diagnosis of acute HCV infection is not possible without the occurrence of seroconversion. The objective of this study is to analyze HCV and identify certain indications of HCV infection. The presence of the hepatitis C virus was detected in patients in the Thi Qar governorate by the utilization of serological assays employing ELISA technology, along with quantification of viral DNA. Specimens were obtained from the ambulatory patients in the Thi-Qar Governorate, Iraq, within the time frame of January 5th, 2022, to December 12th, 2022. The study comprised 80 samples obtained from a cohort of individuals suspected of HCV infection, encompassing both males (48) and females (32) with ages ranging from 1 to 74 years. The population was According to the ELISA results, 62.5% of the samples were found to be positive for HCV. Based on our research, the male group had the highest percentage of infected males (77.1%), whereas the female group had the lowest percentage of infected females (46.6%). The results of the current study revealed high prevalence rates of anti-HCV in various age groups. The prevalence rates were found to be 76.2%, 64.7%, 63.6%, 60.0%, 57.1%, and 50.0% in the age groups 40-49, 59-50, 30-39, 20-29, 10-19, and 1-9, respectively. These rates were significantly higher (P 0.005) compared to the age groups 60-69 and ≥70, which had the lowest prevalence rates of 40.0% and 33.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the findings indicated that the cohort of patients residing in urban regions had the highest infection rate, reaching 39 cases (66.1%), in contrast to the cohort of patients residing in rural areas, which had 21 cases (52.4%). The study revealed that the level of HCV RNA copies, determined using the RT-PCR technique, exhibited an increase in the age group of 20-50, with a maximum concentration of 9887500 IU/ml. In contrast, the concentration decreased to 4768937 IU/ml in the age group below 20, and to 3695800 IU/ml in the age group above 50. Additionally, it was observed that the concentration was higher in males (8060297 IU/ml) compared to females, who had a concentration of 7214353 IU/ml. The method used to detect anti-HCV is somewhat sensitive and specific, however the molecular technique known as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is much more specific and sensitive. Employing molecular techniques is crucial for diagnosing the virus, enabling early detection of infections, and mitigating its transmission.