CHAPTER ONE

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Hepatitis C infection is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV is one of several viruses that can cause hepatitis. ‘Hepatitis’ means inflammation of the liver (Ryan and Ray,2004). It is unrelated to the other common hepatitis viruses (for example, hepatitis A or hepatitis B). HCV is a member of the hepacivirus genus in the family Flaviviridae. There are at least six distinctly different strains of the virus which have different genetic profiles (genotypes). In the U. S., genotype 1 is the most common form of HCV. Even within a single genotype there may be some variations (genotype 1a and 1b, for example). Genotyping is important to guide treatment because some viral genotype respond better to therapy than others (Wilkins et al. 2009).

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