IN SILICO ANALYSIS OF NS5B GENE OF HCV GENOTYPE 4 IN NORTH EGYPT

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype and subtype are related to response to antiviral therapy. Our purpose was to investigate the current HCV genotypes and subtypes collected from Menoufia Egypt distributions in hepatitis C patients in Egypt. Methods: Serum of 5 HCV samples was subjected to reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, followed by direct DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the NS5B region to determine HCV genotypes/subtypes. The drug resistance mutations of HCV genotypes/subtypes were analyzed. Results: the isolates were classified as genotype 4a except for isolate 3 was genotype 4c. Conclusions: Genotype 4a is still the most prevalent HCV subtypes in Egypt. Detection of resistance mutations could help in clinical decisions.