[Prevalence of hepatitis G virus genome in blood donors].
The relevance of the GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) in blood banking results from its high prevalence in blood donors and the fact that it is present at a very high percentage (18%) in polytransfused and hemophiliac patients. Since there is no assay available for serological testing, we developed a sensitive PCR utilizing newly designed NS3 primers to investigate the prevalence in blood donors in Hessia. Testing 1,143 accepted blood donors with alaninaminotransferase (ALT) concentrations < 45 U/l we found 15 (1.3%) positive for GBV-C/HGV RNA. From 507 donors settling in urban Frankfurt areas, 10 (2.0%) were positive. Of those donors settling in rural hessian areas only 5/635 (0.8%) tested positive. By testing 100 excluded donors with ALT values > 45 U/l, 3% turned out to be positive. In 4 out of 9 recipients of GBV-C/HGV-positive blood products we detected the donor viral RNA as proved by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The virus was transmitted to 3 recipients by erythrocytes and to 1 recipient by platelets. Testing family members of the GBV-C/HGV-positive blood donors we could not detect any intrafamilial transmission.
Seifried
E
E
Institut für Transfusionsmedizin und Immunhämatologie, DRK Blutspendedienst Hessen, Deutschland.
Bialleck
H
H
Weber
H
H
Kirchmaier
C M
CM
Waschk
E
E
Marx
S
S
Tschauder
S
S
Roth
W K
WK
D001771:Blood Banks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000453:epidemiology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D012306:Risk
D012367:RNA, Viral