title: Hepatic histology in hepatitis C virus carriers coinfected with hepatitis G virus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A novel flavivirus has been described recently and designated hepatitis G virus (HGV). The virus is transmitted by the parenteral route but it is uncertain whether it is associated with chronic liver disease because liver biopsy is difficult to justify in this group.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine histological features of liver biopsy in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) according to the presence or absence of HCV and HGV RNA.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and thirty one consecutive HCV carriers undergoing staging liver biopsy were studied retrospectively. In each, HCV RNA and HGV RNA were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction on serum samples collected at the time of biopsy. The presence of each RNA was correlated with histological features blind to the RNA results; individual histological features of inflammation or fibrosis were scored separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nineteen patients were positive for both HGV and HCV RNA in serum, 91 were positive for HCV RNA alone, two were positive for HGV RNA alone, and 19 were negative for both RNA species. Neither age nor sex differed between the groups; a greater proportion of intravenous drug users were HGV RNA positive, but this was not statistically significant. There was no effect of HGV coinfection on the stage of fibrosis or any other histological parameter except steatosis; patients with HCV and HGV RNA had a higher mean score for fat than those patients with HCV RNA alone (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HGV coinfection has no important effects on histological features in chronic HCV carriers. It is unlikely that HGV infection causes chronic liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Transfusion Medicine, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke's NHS Trust, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Petrik
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guella
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Wight
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hinton
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Allain
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Alexander
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002353:Carrier State / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000473:pathology*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral