title: GB virus C/hepatitis G virus infection: a favorable prognostic factor in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients?
abstract: To investigate a possible influence of GB virus C (GBV-C) in immunocompromised patients, the prevalences of GBV-C RNA and anti-E2 antibody in 197 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and in 120 control blood donors were studied. GBV-C RNA was detected in 33 of 197 HIV-infected patients (16.8%) compared with 1 in 120 blood donors (0.8%) (P < .001). Previous exposure to GBV-C (anti-E2 antibody-positive) was shown in 56.8% of HIV patients and in 9% of blood donors. GBV-C viremia was not associated with hepatitis. Despite approximately equal duration of HIV infection in all subgroups, the CD4 cell counts were significantly higher in GBV-C-viremic patients (344 cells/microL) compared with exposed (259 cells/microL) and unexposed (170 cells/microL) patients (P = .017 and P < .001). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated significantly better cumulative survival in GBV-C RNA-positive HIV-infected patients, suggesting that GBV-C might be a favorable prognostic factor in HIV disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Medizinische Hochschule, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heringlake
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ockenga
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Tillmann
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trautwein
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meissner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stoll
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jou
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Manns
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D017741:Survivors; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D014766:Viremia
chemical_list: D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C107619:glycoprotein E2, GB virus C