Prevalence studies of GB virus-C infection using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.
Among the three recently described GB viruses (GBV-A, GBV-B, and GBV-C), only GBV-C has been linked to cryptogenic hepatitis in man. Because of the limited utility of currently available research tests to determine antibody response to GBV-C proteins, the prevalence of GBV-C RNA in human sera was studied using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The prevalence of GBV-C is higher among volunteer blood donors with elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (3.9%) than among volunteer blood donors with normal ALT levels (0.8%). Higher rates were also noted among commercial blood donors (12.9%) and intravenous drug users (16.0%). GBV-C was frequently detected in residents of West Africa, where the prevalence was > 10% in most age groups. Approximately 20% of patients diagnosed with either acute or chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) were found to be positive for GBV-C RNA. In addition, GBV-C RNA sequences were detected in individuals diagnosed with non-A-E hepatitis, with clinical courses ranging from mild disease to fulminant hepatitis. Fourteen of sixteen subjects with or without clinically apparent hepatitis were positive for GBV-C RNA more than 1 year after the initial positive result.
Dawson
G J
GJ
Viral Discovery Group, Experimental Biology Research, Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Illinois 60064, USA.
Schlauder
G G
GG
Pilot-Matias
T J
TJ
Thiele
D
D
Leary
T P
TP
Murphy
P
P
Rosenblatt
J E
JE
Simons
J N
JN
Martinson
F E
FE
Gutierrez
R A
RA
Lentino
J R
JR
Pachucki
C
C
Muerhoff
A S
AS
Widell
A
A
Tegtmeier
G
G
Desai
S
S
Mushahwar
I K
IK
D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D014766:Viremia; D017735:Virus Latency
D012367:RNA, Viral