Un semplice metodo per l'identificazione del genotipo 3 del virus dell'epatite C (HCV) direttamente dall'amplificato con PCR

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is considered the main aetiological agent of the so-called non-A non-B hepatitis with parenteral transmission. Several viral types and sub-types have now been identified on the basis of genome sequence. Some peculiar viral types may also be associated with a more severe disease and less responsive to interferon therapy. The goal of this study was to describe a simple, rapid method to detect genotype 3 of HCV (HCV-3) by using specific primers which recognize the 5'untranslated region (5'UTR). With these specific primers, and exclusively in strains belonging to the genotype 3, PCR product with 42 bp larger than the expected 242 bp, were observed. Sequence determination of the PCR product revealed that one of the primers binds the DNA target 42 bases further downstream than expected as a consequence of better annealing resulting from sequence differences in the various HCV genotypes.