title: Two patients with acute hepatitis B with suspected sexual transmission of hepatitis G virus.
abstract: Two patients with acute hepatitis B with suggested sexual transmission of hepatitis G virus (HGV) are reported. A total of 18 patients with community acquired acute hepatitis B were analyzed in this study. Two of the 18 patients (patients 1 and 2) were positive for serum HGV RNA at the initial consultation. Both patients had had sexual contact with prostitutes several weeks before the onset of acute hepatitis, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) was suggested to be infected through the sexual contacts. These patients showed no other history of exposure to possible transmission routes for blood-borne hepatitis viruses. Patient 1 was diagnosed as with acute HGV infection because the antibody to HGV envelope-2 protein seroconverted to positive during the course of acute hepatitis. HGV RNA was negative in a serum sample collected from patient 2 before the onset of acute hepatitis, also suggesting acute HGV infection. These results indicate that in patients 1 and 2 HGV was infected along with HBV through sexual contact. The clinical manifestations of acute hepatitis in the two patients with HGV co-infection did not differ from those in the 16 patients with HBV infection alone.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakatsuji
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Orii
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kiyosawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral