Definition – What is the hepatitis C virus?
The hepatitis C virus belongs to the group of Flaviviridae and is a so-called RNA virus. It causes an inflammation of the liver tissue (hepatitis). There are different genotypes of the hepatitis C virus, which have different genetic material.
The determination of the genotype is important for the treatment. If untreated, hepatitis C quickly and often becomes a permanent inflammation of the liver, damaging the liver tissue. The risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma is greatly increased. Approximately 70 million people worldwide are permanently infected with the virus, with the spread being particularly noticeable in African countries, the Middle East and East Asia. In Germany about 0.3% are infected with hepatitis C. Humans are currently the only known host.
What types are there?
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a so-called RNA virus. In comparison, the human genome is stored in the DNA. For example, for protein biosynthesis, the DNA must first be transcribed into RNA so that new proteins can be formed.
For the hepatitis C pathogen there are 6 different genotypes (1-6) due to a high mutation rate. This means that the genetic material of the respective types is different. These genotypes are in turn divided into different subtypes (a, b, c …) and over 80 subtypes have been identified so far.
The genotypes or subtypes differ in about one third of their genetic material. The distribution of the genotypes is geographically conspicuous. Genotypes 1-3 are mainly found in Europe and the USA, with type 1 being the most common in Europe.
Unfortunately, it was found that this type 1 responds less well to therapy than the others. In addition, so-called quasispecies of the hepatitis C virus can also occur, which show only a slight deviation from the genetic material. The re-infection with another HCV type is possible after healed hepatitis C through the different geno- and subtypes.
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