title: Hepatitis G virus and human immunodeficiency virus coinfection: response to interferon-alpha therapy.
abstract: The prevalence and consequences of hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection were determined in 180 patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (predominantly male homosexuals) who participated in a trial that compared treatment with zidovudine versus interferon (IFN)-alpha versus the combination. HGV RNA levels were measured by branched DNA signal amplification assay. Initially, 66 (37%) had HGV RNA. Sexual transmission was the sole risk factor for infection in all but 4 subjects. Pretreatment clinical features were similar between HGV RNA-positive and -negative patients. After 6 months, only 5% treated with zidovudine became HGV RNA negative, compared with 95% who received IFN-alpha alone and 66% on combination therapy with low-dose IFN-alpha. After therapy, HGV RNA levels returned to baseline in most subjects. Thus, HGV infection is common among HIV-infected homosexual males but does not appear to influence clinical features in early HIV infection. HGV RNA levels are suppressed by IFN but not by zidovudine.
authors.affiliation: Liver Diseases Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Detmer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kolberg
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Herpin
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Metcalf
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hoofnagle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D015897:Comorbidity; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors; D019562:Viral Load; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D015215:Zidovudine; D000410:Alanine Transaminase