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PDF Neighbor- joining phylogenetic tree of cameroonian strains using the HCV NS5B gene Neighbor- joining phylogenetic tree of worlwide strains using the HCV NS5B gene

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Abstract

Background: RNA virus infections represent a significant cause of illness and death in vertebrates. Specifically in humans, RNA viruses are responsible for a wide range of acute, chronic, emerging and re-emerging infections. HIV and HCV rank as some of the RNA viruses infections facing Africa.
Methods: To perform genotyping and phylogenetic analysis using HCV specific genes in order to monitor the disease progression, RNA was isolated from HIV/HCV co-infected patients, in a town with heterogeneous population in Cameroon, Douala. From 2005 to 2006, a total of 36 HIV/HCV co-infected isolates (22 from volunteer blood donors and 14 from people living with HIV/AIDS and naive of treatment) were analyzed using molecular biology techniques and bioinformatics tools. Molecular biology techniques (RT-PCR, gene/TOPO cloning and DNA sequencing) and bioinformatics tools were performed at the J. Craig Venter Institute, MD, USA.
Results: The results obtained show that HCV isolates from Cameroon belong to genotypes 1, 2, and 4. The corresponding subtypes investigated were 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2c, 2k, and 4a. Phylogenetic analysis of the NS5B gene showed that Cameroonian strains cluster with Gabonese, French and Martinique strains, whereas they differ from Ghanaian and Canadian strains. Subtypes 1a and 1b that are mostly found in developed countries also circulate in Cameroon, indicating that HCV infection represents a serious threat in infected people. Results also show that the majority of HIV strains belong to the circulating recombinant forms, CRF_02_AG. Epidemiologic data show that HCV infected individuals are older than HIV mono-infected patients.


Conclusions: These results show evidence of genetic diversity of HIV and HCV; virulent hepatitis C virus in Cameroon, and therefore a great need for further investigation of quasi-species using different clones from the same strain. Besides, there is an imperative need for monitoring the disease progression in the sub-region, using genomics and bioinformatic approaches. 

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Djuidje Ngounoue, M., Djikeng, A., & Spiro, D. (2013). INVOLVEMENT OF GENOTYPING AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF HCV AND HIV ISOLATES IN THE MONITORING OF THE DISEASE PROGRESSION AMONG HIV/HCV CO-INFECTED INDIVIDUALS IN CAMEROON. HEALTH SCIENCES AND DISEASE, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.5281/hsd.v13i1.71
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