GBV-C/HGV infection in hepatitis C virus-infected deferred Swedish blood donors.
Sera from 62 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected Swedish blood donors were tested by a nested polymerase chain reaction using primers targeting the 5'-noncoding region of the GB virus-C/hepatitis G (GBV-C/HGV) genome and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that detects antibodies to the envelope protein E2 of GBV-C/HGV (anti-E2). Fourteen (22%) and 21 (34%) of the 62 blood donors were found to be GBV-C/HGV RNA and anti-E2 positive, respectively. None of the blood donors was positive for both GBV-C/HGV RNA and anti-E2. Thus, 35 of 62 (56%) HCV-infected donors had been exposed to GBV-C/HGV infection. At sequencing of the 14 GBV-C/HGV isolates, 12 were identified as subtype 2a and 2 as subtype 2b. One of 7 (14%) donors with mild liver disease such as steatosis and nonspecific reactive hepatitis had been exposed to GBV-C/HGV vs. 34 of 55 (62%) with chronic hepatitis with or without cirrhosis (P = 0.04). All other differences in histology were small between HCV and dual HCV GBV-C/HGV-infected donors. In conclusion, more than half of HCV-infected Swedish blood donors in this study were positive for either GBV-C/HGV RNA or anti-E2. GBV-C/HGV viremia and seropositivity were mutually exclusive.
Shev
S
S
Department of Infectious Diseases, Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Ostra, Göteborg, Sweden. steven.shev@medfak.gu.se
Björkman
P
P
Norkrans
G
G
Foberg
U
U
Frydén
A
A
Lindh
G
G
Lindholm
A
A
Weiland
O
O
Widell
A
A
D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D013548:Sweden; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*
D012367:RNA, Viral