title: Status and natural course of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus infection among high-risk groups and volunteer blood donors in Taiwan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hemophilia, thalassemia and uremia patients are at risk of parenterally transmitted infectious agents. The status and nature of the course of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) infection among these groups and blood donors in Taiwan was investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum GBV-C HGV-RNA and antibodies to GBV-C/HGV envelope-2-protein (anti-E2) were determined in 500 blood donors and in 44 hemophilia, 37 thalassemia and 85 uremia patients. Phylogenetic analysis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of GBV-C/HGV-RNA and anti-E2, respectively, was 38.6 and 27.3% in hemophilia patients, 27.0 and 27.3% in thalassemia patients, 14.1 and 10.6% in uremia patients and 3.4 and 7.2% in blood donors. The prevalence of GBV-C HGV exposure was 59.1 and 51.4% in hemophilia and thalassemia patients, respectively, which was significantly higher than that for uremia patients (22.4%; P < 0.01) and blood donors (10.2%; P < 0.001). The anti-E2 seroconversion rate was 66.7% in blood donors and 47.4, 36.8 and 34.6% in thalassemia, uremia (P < 0.05 compared with blood donors) and hemophilia (P < 0.01 compared with blood donors) patients, respectively. Discrepancies in the prevalence of GBV-C HGV and hepatitis C virus infection were found among the three risk groups. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 51 of 56 GBV-C HGV isolates clustered in group 3; the remaining five were of group 2a. Twelve of 39 viremic patients in the risk groups cleared the virus during the 4 year follow-up period; seven developed concomitant anti-E2 reactivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GB virus C hepatitis G virus infection is epidemic among risk groups and GBV-C HGV group 3 is the major strain in Taiwan. In the risk groups, approximately 18% of infections resolve with concomitant anti-E2 seroconversion within 4 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chiou
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions / Q000235:genetics; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001483:Base Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D001782:Blood Donors; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000821:virology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000821:virology*; D014511:Uremia / Q000821:virology*; D014766:Viremia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions