Transmission of GB virus C by blood transfusions during heart surgery.
OBJECTIVE
Hepatitis-causing viral agents other than those designated A to E are being reported. Their epidemiology, modes of transmission, and infectivity are not yet clear, although they may be transmitted by transfusion.


METHODS
Thirty five patients underwent open-heart surgery, receiving an average of 10.2 +/- 10.8 (range 1 to 35) units of blood. The patients were investigated postoperatively for the RNA of the putative non-A-to-E hepatitis virus designated as GB virus C (GBV-C).


RESULTS
Four patients (12%) acquired GBV-C RNA in the serum within 2 to 4 weeks after the operation. GBV-C RNA was detected in at least one of the blood units received by three patients, all of whose units were available for testing, with a sequence in the nonstructural 3 region identical to that from the corresponding patient. Three patients developed elevated alanine aminotransferase levels which persisted for two weeks or longer in two of them.


CONCLUSIONS
GBV-C is transmissible by transfusion and can induce elevated transaminase levels.
Shimizu
M
M
Department of Transfusion Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical College, Japan.
Osada
K
K
Okamoto
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D065227:Transfusion Reaction