Investigation of saliva, faeces, urine or semen samples for the presence of GBV-C RNA.
GBV-C/HGV has been demonstrated to be distributed worldwide with a prevalence in blood donors higher than HCV. This distribution in the general population probably requires an effective non-parenteral route of transmission. A previous study was performed to evaluate the presence of GBV-C/HGV in serum. Saliva, faeces and urine samples of 30 patients (15 males and 15 females) and 15 semen samples from patients whose serum gave a GBV-C/HGV RNA positive result were then tested by a sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Five semen supernatant samples (33.3%) tested positive--four of them belonged to HIV positive patients--and two saliva samples contained GBV-C/HGV sequences (6.6%)--one from a HIV-positive patient. An internal control was used to detect PCR nonspecific inhibitors in the samples. The data suggest possible non-parenteral routes of transmission from this virus. Its presence in body fluids other than serum has clinical implications other than possible hepatic damage that remain to be investigated.
Eugenia
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Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Spain.
Ana
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Carmen
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D001769:Blood / Q000821:virology*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D029407:GB virus C / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012463:Saliva / Q000821:virology*; D012661:Semen / Q000821:virology*; D014556:Urine / Q000821:virology*
D012367:RNA, Viral