Hepatitis G virus (HGV)--association with graft failure after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation?
A group of 28 children was investigated after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for evidence of hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection. HGV RNA was detected in 14 of the 28 patients (50%) and persisted in 9 of 11 patients with follow-up samples for up to 32 months. Whereas thrombopoiesis was delayed in 2 of the 14 HGV-RNA-negative patients (14.3%), 6 out of 14 (42.9%) patients in the HGV-RNA-positive group had a delayed thrombopoiesis and 2 of the latter group had to be retransplanted because of complete graft failure. These were the only cases with hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection. Significant liver diseases were also found only in these 2 patients with HGV and HCV coinfection. These results suggest that HGV infection may significantly influence the engraftment in patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, particularly if coinfection with HCV occurs.
Korn
K
K
Institut für Klinische und Molekulare Virologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Deutschland.
Schmidt
B
B
Greil
J
J
Beck
J
J
Fleckenstein
B
B
D000293:Adolescent; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood
D012367:RNA, Viral