Effect of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus coinfection on the course of HIV infection in hemophilia patients in Japan.
OBJECTIVE
A novel virus, GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV), has been isolated. This virus is parenterally transmissible, but its effect on various diseases remains to be disclosed. We investigated the effect of GBV-C/HGV coinfection on the course of HIV infection.


METHODS
GBV-C/HGV RNA was measured by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 41 HIV-infected hemophilia patients in Japan. Patient characteristics, HIV RNA concentrations, and rates of progression to AIDS and to death were compared in patients with and without GBV-C/HGV coinfection. HIV RNA was quantified by the Amplicor HIV Monitor test (Roche Molecular Systems, Somerville, NJ, U.S.A.), and progression to AIDS and to death was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier plots.


RESULTS
GBV-C/HGV infection was present in 11 of 41 of patients (26.8%). Mean HIV RNA concentration was lower in patients with GBV-C/HGV coinfection (3.52+/-4.81 x 10(4) copies/ml) than in patients without coinfection (5.76+/-14.78 x 10(4) copies/ ml) and progression to AIDS and to death were slower in patients with GBV-C/HGV coinfection than patients without it, although the differences were not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
In Japanese hemophilia patients, coinfection with GBV-C/HGV does not have an adverse effect on the course of HIV infection.
Toyoda
H
H
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Fukuda
Y
Y
Hayakawa
T
T
Takamatsu
J
J
Saito
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics; D006678:HIV / Q000235:genetics; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000150:complications*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood
D012367:RNA, Viral