title: Hepatitis G virus infection in children on dialysis and after renal transplantation.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to use a combination of the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and a new diagnostic test for antibodies against the viral envelope protein E2 to assess the prevalence of hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) infection in sera of Hungarian children on hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), as well as in sera of renal transplant patients (RTx). The GBV-C/HGV RNA prevalence was significantly higher in the whole group of children with renal failure (18.5%) than in the control group (children with urinary tract infection, 2.5%). The difference between the GBV-C/HGV RNA prevalence in the RTx group (33.3%) and in the control group (2.5%) was significant (P = 0.007). Anti-E2, which is considered an indicator of a past GBV-C/ HGV infection, was detected in 10% (1/10) of HD patients, in 33.3% (4/12) of RTx patients, but in none of the children on CAPD. These differences were not significant. Children receiving a renal graft are at an increased risk of developing GBV-C/HGV infection, which may be attributed to the immunosuppressive drugs necessary to maintain the grafts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, University Hospital Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szabo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sallay
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kribben
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roggendorf
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tulassay
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Philipp
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Heemann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000276:immunology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D010531:Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral