Hepatitis
C Virus (HCV) is a small (50 nm in size) enveloped positive sense
single-stranded (ss) RNA virus. The genome consists of a single open reading
frame that is 9600 nucleotide (9.6 kb) bases long. It is the only known member
of the Hepacivirus genus in the family Flaviviridae.
Sequence analysis of HCV
isolates around the world has revealed the presence of six major genotypes,
labeled 1 through 6, and subtypes, labeled a through r. Worldwide, about 200
million people (3% of the world’s population) are infected with HCV, and 3 to 4
million people are newly infected each year with a global 170 million chronic
carriers at risk of developing liver cirrhosis and/or liver cancer.
Approximately 4.1 to 5.2 million people in the United States have chronic HCV
infection. Hence, HCV infections account for a substantial proportion of liver
diseases worldwide. Read more>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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