Distribution of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes Among Chronic Infected Injecting Drug Users in Tehran, Iran

Background: hepatitis c virus (hcv) is the main cause of infection that has the potential to cause chronic liver disease. injecting drug users (idus) have a key role in hcv transmission in iran. knowledge of the distribution of various genotypes is essential for successful future research and control strategies.objectives: the aim of this study was to identify hcv genotypes among chronic infected injecting drug users (idus) in tehran, iran.patients and methods: in this cross sectional study, we investigated hcv genotypes among 36 plasma samples from hcv infected idus (35 male and 1female, mean age: 33.67, and age range 20-62 years), referred to research center of iranian blood transfusion organization(ibto) in tehran from december 2008 to march 2009.hcv genotyping was performed using type-specific primers.results: genotypes 3a, 1a and 1b were found in 58.3 %, 25% and 16.7 % patients, respectively.conclusions: our study demonstrated the high prevalence of genotype 3a among injecting drug users, which is also found in europe and united states.