HGV/GBV-C in liver tissue and in sera from patients with chronic hepatitis C.
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.
Fabris
P
P
Dept. of Infectious Diseases, S. Bortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy.
Biasin
M R
MR
Infantolino
D
D
Romanó
L
L
Benedetti
P
P
Tositti
G
G
Pellizzer
G P
GP
Zanetti
A R
AR
Stecca
C
C
Marchelle
G
G
de Lalla
F
F
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
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C107619:glycoprotein E2, GB virus C