Hepatitis C virus genotype 5 in southern belgium: epidemiological characteristics and response to therapy.

Data are scarce on patients infected with hepatitis C virus of genotype 5, due to the low prevalence of this genotype around the world. To better define the characteristics of these patients, we reviewed the files of 16 genotype 5 patients. Mean age was 38 +/- 14. All patients were of European origin. Most of them (75%) had been contaminated by transfusion within a short time period (between 1980 and 1991). There were no intravenous drug addicts. Seven patients received treatment. One patient did not respond to interferon (IFN) monotherapy. Of four patients treated with IFN and ribavirin, three became sustained viral responders. Two patients treated with pegylated IFN and ribavirin became sustained viral responders. In our region, genotype 5 patients seem to have been contaminated within a relatively short time period. Treatment with IFN or pegylated IFN and ribavirin gave a high rate (83%) of sustained viral responses.