title: HGV/GBV-C in liver tissue and in sera from patients with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: Forty-eight persons (M = 45, F = 3; age range = 20-53, mean = 32.2) affected with chronic hepatitis C were tested for HGV/GBV-C RNA and HCV-RNA by nested PCR and DEIA in serum and in liver specimens to evaluate the prevalence and the impact of HGV/GBV-C coinfection in patients with chronic HCV-related hepatitis. Sera were also assayed for antibodies to HGV/GBV-C E2 protein. Serum HGV/GBV-RNA could be detected in nine (19%) patients, and anti-E2 antibodies in 22 (46%) patients. The presence of HGV/GBV-C RNA or anti-E2 antibodies was mutually exclusive. The cumulative prevalence of HGV/GBV-C infection was 65% (31/48); the majority of these patients (26/31, 84%) were intravenous drug users (IVDUs). In eight of nine patients viraemic for HGV/GBV-C, RNA positivity could be revealed even in liver specimens; these eight patients were also positive for HCV-RNA both in serum and the liver and did not exhibit any specific association with HCV genotype. HGV/GBV-C RNA negative strand RT-PCR testing was negative in all of the eight liver specimens, providing little support to the hypothesis that liver represents the primary site of HGV/GBV-C replication. Moreover, patients with HGV/GBV-C and HCV coinfection were comparable to those with HCV infection alone in terms of biochemistry and liver histology.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Infectious Diseases, S. Bortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fabris
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Biasin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Infantolino
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Romanó
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Benedetti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tositti
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Pellizzer
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Zanetti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stecca
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marchelle
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Lalla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D014766:Viremia / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C107619:glycoprotein E2, GB virus C