title: Detection of hepatitis G virus (HGV) RNA: clinical characteristics of acute HGV infection.
abstract: The role of hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection in acute non-A-E hepatitis was investigated in adults with viral hepatitis. HGV RNA was present in 1 of 28 patients with non-A-E hepatitis but 9 of 22 with hepatitis C (P < .003). HGV RNA-positive patients (HGV-infected and HGV-hepatitis C virus [HCV]-coinfected) developed light-to-moderate jaundice. Clinical and biochemical features of HGV-positive and HCV-positive patients and patients with non-A, non-G hepatitis were similar. Three patients with HGV-HCV coinfection, tested within 18 months after disease onset, have remained HGV RNA-positive but have become HCV RNA-negative. Only 1 non-A-E hepatitis patient was confirmed as being infected with HGV alone, suggesting that HGV is not the main etiologic agent of non-A-E hepatitis. Although HGV RNA was significantly associated with hepatitis C, patients with mixed HCV-HGV infections did not demonstrate a more severe course of disease than did patients with HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Specialty Laboratories, Inc., Santa Monica, California 90404-3900, USA.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Yashina
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Favorov
authors.forename: Y E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Khudyakov
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Znoiko
authors.forename: T V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Shkurko
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bonafonte
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sevall
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Agopian
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Peter
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000821:virology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral