Phylogenetic analysis of an epidemic outbreak of acute hepatitis C in HIV-infected patients by massive sequencing. Hepacivirus hominis

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is mainly spread by contact with contaminated blood after transfusion or by sharing needles with patients who use drugs intravenously. In the past 10 years, a growing number of cases of acute hepatitis C (AHC) in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) have been reported in large urban centers in Europe, the United States and Australia. In this study, we describe the transmission dynamics in an epidemic outbreak of AHC in HIV-positive patients in Barcelona from 2008 to 2013. To this aim, we have analyzed the HCV NS5B region by massive sequencing and performed extensive phylogenetic analysis.