Objective: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important cause of hepatitis, hepatic steatosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in the world and in our country. HCV is classified into seven genotypes and 67 subtypes. We aimed to determine HCV genotypes from the samples sent to Microbiology Laboratory of Bursa Uludağ University Health Sciences Research and Application Center.

Method: In this study, HCV-RNA positive plasma samples from patients with chronic HCV infection coming between January 2016 and December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively for their genotypes. Genotypes 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 were identified using the Abbott RealTime HCV Genotype II (Abbott Molecular, USA) kit.

Results: Of the patients included in the study, 322 (43.5%) were male and 418 (56.5%) were female. The age of the patients ranged between 9 and 95 years, and the average age was found to be 57.8 years. Dominant genotype was 1b, but the frequency of genotype 1b regressed proportionally during the years from 74% in 2016 to 63% in 2020. Genotype 1a and 3 increased proportionally over the years. Genotype 3, on the other hand, was seen at a rate of 6% in 2016, and increased to 17% in 2020. The increase in the rates of genotype 3 and 4 was found to be statistically significant. Forty-eight (6.5%) patients were foreign nationals. Genotype 3, which was the most common genotype in foreign patients, was detected in 18 (38%) of the patients, genotype 1b in 17 (35%), and genotype 4 in five patients (10%).

Conclusion: Since HCV genotypes are affected by tourism and mass migration movements, periodic updating of the data is epidemiologically important, as it plays a role in the selection of direct-acting antiviral drugs used in treatment.