Rebecca Clain
As many as 170 million people, or around 3% of the world's population, are infected with the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV).The virus results in a wide range of pathologic effects, the most notable of which are chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and the almost always fatal hepatocellular carcinoma. The most common reason for liver transplantation in the US is HCV infection. HCV is an RNA virus with a positive strand, non-segmented envelope, and a length of about 9.6 kb. The virus belongs to the wider family of Flavivirus, which also contains the human illnesses West Nile virus, yellow fever virus, and dengue fever virus, among others. It is classified under the genus Hepacivirus. The Flaviviridae share the ability to replicate only when an RNAdependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) that is expressed by the virus is present. RdRp is prone to errors, and HCV is famous for having a wide range of variations both within and across individuals. The nucleotide sequences of the seven main HCV genotypes varied by about 30% globally.