GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) infection in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and identification of variants on the basis of 5'-untranslated region sequences.
By using reverse transcription and PCR for NS3 and 5'-untranslated regions (5'UTR) of the viral genome, prevalence of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) infection in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was studied. High prevalence of GBV-C/HGV infection was observed among intravenous drug users (32%) and hemodialyzed patients (25%). The prevalence was also considerably high among patients with chronic liver disease, such as chronic hepatitis (9%), liver cirrhosis (12%) and hepatocellular carcinoma (10%). On the other hand, the prevalence among healthy blood donors (1%) was significantly lower than that of the above high-risk groups. GBV-C/HGV RNA positivity was significantly higher in individuals with antibodies against hepatitis C virus (24%) than in those without (5%). Phylogenetic analysis of the 5'UTR sequences classified Thai GBV-C/HGV isolates into three groups; (i) a group of isolates that are commonly found in the United States and Europe, (ii) a group of isolates that are commonly found in Asia, and (iii) a group of novel sequence variants.
Katayama
Y
Y
Department of Microbiology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan.
Apichartpiyakul
C
C
Handajani
R
R
Ishido
S
S
Hotta
H
H
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D020365:RNA Helicases; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases
D004279:DNA, Viral; D020365:RNA Helicases; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C060028:NS3 protein, flavivirus; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases