Journal article
Hepatitis C Virus Phylogenetic Clustering Is Associated with the Social-Injecting Network in a Cohort of People Who Inject Drugs
Rachel Sacks-Davis, Galina Daraganova, Campbell Aitken, Peter Higgs, Lilly Tracy, Scott Bowden, Rebecca Jenkinson, David Rolls, Philippa Pattison, Garry Robins, Jason Grebely, Alyssa Barry, Margaret Hellard
PLOS ONE | PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE | Published : 2012
Abstract
It is hypothesized that social networks facilitate transmission of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). We tested for association between HCV phylogeny and reported injecting relationships using longitudinal data from a social network design study. People who inject drugs were recruited from street drug markets in Melbourne, Australia. Interviews and blood tests took place three monthly (during 2005-2008), with participants asked to nominate up to five injecting partners at each interview. The HCV core region of individual isolates was then sequenced and phylogenetic trees were constructed. Genetic clusters were identified using bootstrapping (cut-off: 70%). An adjusted Jaccard similarity coefficien..
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Awarded by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council
Awarded by Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research
Awarded by Australian Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council [project grant 331312, postgraduate scholarship to RSD, training fellowship to PH, Senior Research Fellowship to MH, http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/]; the Victorian Department of Health [public health research grant 2008-09, http://www.health.vic.gov.au/]; the Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research [ACH2, http://www.hiv.edu.au/]; the Victorian Operational Infrastructure Support Program [http://www.business.vic.gov.au/BUSVIC/STANDARD/PC_60698.html]; the Burnet Institute [http://www.burnet.edu.au]; the Centre for Research Excellence into Injecting Drug Use [top-up postgraduate scholarship to RSD, http://www.creidu.edu.au]; and the Australian Research Council [Discovery project grant 0987730, http://www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/dp/dp_default.htm]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.