[Studies on multiple infection with hepatitis B, C and G viruses].
OBJECTIVE
To study if there exists superinfection and multiple infection in the patients with hepatitis G virus (HCV) infection.


METHODS
Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique in non-structural gene 3 (NS3) region of HGV was used to detect HGV RNA in serially diluted quality control sera and HGV-C reference panel of samples provided by Abbott Co. Ltd, in 90 cases with positive hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA, and 12 blood donors with super-infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV).


RESULTS
Serially diluted quality control sera showed positive for HGV RNA at dilutions of 10(-1) to 10(-5), but negative at dilutions of 10(-6) to 10(-8). HGV RNA was positive in two samples of HGV-C serum provided by Abbott Co. HGV RNA was positive in eight of the 90 cases with positive HCV RNA and in four of the 12 cases with super-infection with HCV and HBV.


CONCLUSIONS
There are not only super-infection of HBV and HCV, but also multiple infection.
D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000821:virology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000821:virology*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D015163:Superinfection