Evaluation of the Frequency of the IL-28 Polymorphism (rs8099917) in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Using Zip Nucleic Acid Probes, Kerman, Southeast of Iran

Polymorphisms in the region of the interleukin IL-28 gene on chromosome 19 have been related withclearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major human pathogen responsible for chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis andhepatocellular carcinoma. About 3% of the world’s population is infected with HCV. The long-term response totherapy is influenced by many host and viral factors, and recent evidence has indicated that some host geneticpolymorphisms related to IL-28 are the most powerful predictors of virological response in patients with HCV.This study assessed frequency of the IL-28 polymorphism (rs8099917) in 50 patients (39 men and 11 women )with chronic hepatitis C using ZNA probe real time PCR new method . All patients were tested for genotype ofHCV and the HCV viral load. In parallel, the levels of SGOT, SGPT and ALK enzymes were assessed. Treatmentusing Peg-interferon alpha with ribavirin was conducted for patients and subsequently samples were collectedto detect any change in viral load or liver enzyme rates. The overall frequency of the TT allele is 74%, TG allele20% and GG allele 6% and the percent of patients who had T allele was 84%. Clear reduction in viral load andliver enzymes was reported in patients with the T allele. Especially for genotype 1 which is relatively resistantto treatment, these alleles may have a role in this decline. In conclusion, we showed that IL-28 polymorphismrs8099917 strongly predicts virological response in HCV infection and that real-time PCR with Zip nucleicacid probes is a sensitive, specific and rapid detection method for detection of SNPs which will be essential formonitoring patients undergoing antiviral therapy.