NS5A mutations predict biochemical but not virological response to interferon-alpha treatment of sporadic hepatitis C virus infection in European patients.

The NS5A region of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome has been reported by Japanese but not European investigators to be a significant factor in predicting interferon (IFN) response patients with HCV of genotype 1. We correlated the NS5A region with treatment outcome in patients with sporadic HCV infection. Twenty-eight patients (10 men, 18 women, mean age 60 +/- 2 years) with histologically proven HCV chronic hepatitis, genotype 1b, were treated with 6 MU IFN-alpha for 6 months.

An outbreak of diarrhoeal disease attributed to Shigella sonnei.

An outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred in a village on the Island of Crete, with 1479 inhabitants. One hundred and thirty-eight symptomatic patients from 57 different families were examined. Thirty percent of children under 12 years were affected compared with 4% of adolescents and adults (P < 0.