title: Partial nucleotide sequencing of the NS3/helicase region of hepatitis G virus to prove vertical transmission.
abstract: To study non-parental transmission of hepatitis G virus and/or GB virus C (HGV/GBV-C), we sequenced and compared the NS3/helicase region of the virus for five HGV/GBV-C RNA-positive mothers and their 11 children who had experienced neither blood transfusion nor overt hepatitis and were negative for HBV, HCV and HIV, except in one mother coinfected with HCV. The nucleotide sequences of the familial HGV/GBV-C isolates showed high similarity of 99-100% (mean 99.8%, 100% at the deduced amino acid level) between mother and her child(ren) in each family. These findings strongly suggest the spontaneous occurrence of mother-to-child transmission of HGV/GBV-C as reported previously. They also suggest that nucleotide sequence analysis on the NS3/helicase region of HGV/GBV-C may be a useful tool to study HGV/GBV-C transmission.
authors.affiliation: Division of Laboratory Research, St. Marianna University Yokohamashi Seibu Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan. stakayam@mb.kcom.ne.jp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tominaga
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugii
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimotohno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; D020365:RNA Helicases; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D020365:RNA Helicases; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C060028:NS3 protein, flavivirus; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases