Distribution of IL-28B genotypes in patients with hepatitis C and healthy individuals in Jahrom city

Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the distribution of interleukin (IL)-28B genotypes between Iranian healthy individuals and patients with chronic hepatitis C based on the genotype. Background: Polymorphisms in the region of IL-28B gene have been identified as the strongest genetic pretreatment predictor of sustained virological response (SVR) in hepatitis C infection. Patients and methods: In this study, 147 patients with chronic hepatitis C and 80 healthy individuals were included. The IL-28B rs12979860 and rs8099917 polymorphisms were genotyped by PCR-RFLP method and the frequency of IL-28B polymorphisms with respect to HCV genotypes was also determined. Results: The frequencies of rs12979860 TT, CC and CT genotypes in the chronic hepatitis C patients and healthy individuals were as follows: 10.8 % vs. 11.3%, 38.7 % vs. 46.2 % and 50.3 % vs. 42.5%. Also, the frequencies of rs8099917 TT, GG and GT genotypes in the chronic hepatitis C patients was 61.9%, 6.1 % and 32 % and in controls was 47.5%, 11.2 % and 41.3%. The differences in the distribution of rs12979860 genotypes and alleles between HCV genotype 1 and HCV genotype 3a infected patients were statistically significant. Conclusion: The rs12979860 C allele is the favorable allele for the spontaneous clearance of HCV. It seems that th