When analyzing HIV AIDS patients in S o

When analyzing HIV/AIDS patients in São Paulo, we detected an association between HIV/HTLV-1/2 infection in black/pardo-colored individuals (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.21–4.03). However, the majority of serum samples were from patients attending specialized services for hepatitis, other than HIV/AIDS or HTLV outpatient clinics. Whether the 2,4-Diacetylphloroglucinol synthesis origin interferes with the obtained results remains to be determined, however we could speculate that the genetic background could increase or decrease HCV viral load, affecting HCV, HIV-1, and HTLV-1 infection outcomes, as previously described. In fact, IL28B polymorphisms are associated with spontaneous HCV clearance and sustained virological response.28, 29, 30 In conclusion, more studies are needed to confirm or refute the present results, including clinical and laboratory follow-up.
Conflicts of interest
Acknowledgments This study was supported in part by grants from FAPESP # 2012/51220-8 and # 2016/03654-0. ACA receives support from CNPq PD # 302661/2015-8. FAA is receiving a master fellowship and KRC a doctoral fellowship, both supported by CAPES. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the Brazilian Ministry of Health or other institutions/organizations. The funders had no role in the decision to publish or in the preparation of the manuscript.
Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be classified into 7 genotypes (GTs) and 67 subtypes (STs) [1]. In this era of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for chronic HCV infection, accurate HCV GT determination and ST differentiation (1a versus 1b) remain important factors in the selection of appropriate DAA therapy [[2], [3], [4], [5]]. The Abbott RealTime HCV Genotype II assay (HCVGT II; Abbott Molecular Inc., Des Plaines, IL), targeting the 5′untranslated (UTR) and nonstructural (NS)5 B regions of the HCV genome, is an HCV genotyping assay approved for in vitro diagnostic use in the U.S. However, this assay has not been approved for identification of GT 6, and it has reportedly failed to assign definitive GTs in up to ∼10% of specimens tested [[6], [7], [8], [9]]. More recently, the Abbott RealTime HCV Genotype Plus RUO assay (HCVGT Plus; Abbott Molecular Inc.) has been developed specifically for resolution testing of specimens showing such ambiguous results. Though several published reports have indicated that HCVGT Plus performed well as a supplemental test for use with HCVGT II [8,10], the full impact of using HCVGT Plus in conjunction with HCVGT II for routine, large-scale testing of clinical specimens remains to be determined.
Objectives
Study design Both HCVGT II and HCVGT Plus were performed using the Abbott mSample Preparation System kit and Abbott m2000 RealTime™ PCR System (Abbott Molecular, Inc.) according to manufacturer’s instructions, with sample extraction volumes of 500 μL and 200 μL, respectively. HCVGT II consists of reverse transcription-PCR performed in 3 individual reaction wells. These assay reactions utilize minor groove binder (MGB)-TaqMan probes targeting the HCV 5′ UTR for qualitative detection and differentiation of HCV GTs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 and ST-specific probes targeting the NS5B region for ST 1a and 1b differentiation (Fig. 1). HCVGT Plus utilizes a similar assay design and specifically targets the HCV core region with multiple MGB-TaqMan probes specific for HCV GTs 1a (3 different probes), 1b (3 different probes), and 6 (2 different probes) (Danijela Lucic, Abbott Molecular Inc.; personal communication). Based on the findings of Saludes et al. [9] and internal retrospective data review, all specimens included in this study and generating an “HCV detected” result without GT-specific reactivity by HCVGT II were routinely tested with HCVGT II a second time prior to reporting of results (period 1) or resolution testing with HCVGT Plus (period 2). During period 2, those specimens repeatedly producing an HCVGT II result of “HCV detected” without GT-specific reactivity (after 2 attempts) or GT 1 without ST assignment (alone or mixed with another GT) were subjected to resolution testing with HCVGT Plus.