Editing Hepatitis C (section)

== Virology ==
{{Main|Hepatitis C virus}}

The [[hepatitis C virus]] (HCV) is a small, enveloped, single-stranded, positive-sense [[RNA virus]].<ref name=NEJM2011 /> It is a member of the genus ''[[Hepacivirus]]'' in the family ''[[Flaviviridae]]''.<ref name=ID2010>{{cite book | vauthors = Ray SC, Thomas DL | veditors = Mandell GL, Bennett, Dolin R |title=Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's principles and practice of infectious diseases|year=2009|publisher=Churchill Livingstone |location=Philadelphia, PA|isbn=978-0-443-06839-3|chapter=Chapter 154: Hepatitis C |edition=7th}}</ref> There are seven major genotypes of HCV, which are known as genotypes one to seven.<ref name=Nakano2011>{{cite journal | vauthors = Nakano T, Lau GM, Lau GM, Sugiyama M, Mizokami M | title = An updated analysis of hepatitis C virus genotypes and subtypes based on the complete coding region | journal = Liver International | volume = 32 | issue = 2 | pages = 339–45 | date = February 2012 | pmid = 22142261 | doi = 10.1111/j.1478-3231.2011.02684.x | s2cid = 23271017 }}</ref> The genotypes are divided into several subtypes with the number of subtypes depending on the genotype. In the United States, about 70% of cases are caused by genotype 1, 20% by genotype 2, and about 1% by each of the other genotypes.<ref name=AFP2010 /> Genotype 1 is also the most common in South America and Europe.<ref name=NEJM2011 />

The half-life of the virus particles in the serum is around 3 hours and may be as short as 45 minutes.<ref name=Lerat2004 /><ref>{{cite book| vauthors = Pockros P |title=Novel and Combination Therapies for Hepatitis C Virus, An Issue of Clinics in Liver Disease|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4557-7198-1|page=47|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gm6aXv8A8cUC&pg=PT47|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521235637/https://books.google.com/books?id=Gm6aXv8A8cUC&pg=PT47|archive-date=2016-05-21}}</ref> In an infected person, about 10<sup>12</sup> virus particles are produced each day.<ref name=Lerat2004>{{cite journal | vauthors = Lerat H, Hollinger FB | title = Hepatitis C virus (HCV) occult infection or occult HCV RNA detection? | journal = The Journal of Infectious Diseases | volume = 189 | issue = 1 | pages = 3–6 | date = January 2004 | pmid = 14702146 | doi = 10.1086/380203 | doi-access = free }}</ref> In addition to replicating in the liver the virus can multiply in lymphocytes.<ref name=Zignego2012>{{cite journal | vauthors = Zignego AL, Giannini C, Gragnani L, Piluso A, Fognani E | title = Hepatitis C virus infection in the immunocompromised host: a complex scenario with variable clinical impact | journal = Journal of Translational Medicine | volume = 10 | issue = 1 | pages = 158 | date = August 2012 | pmid = 22863056 | pmc = 3441205 | doi = 10.1186/1479-5876-10-158 | doi-access = free }}</ref>