title: Hepatitis G virus co-infection may affect the elimination of hepatitis C virus RNA from the peripheral blood of hemodialysis patients.
abstract: Hemodialysis patients are at risk for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible influence of HGV co-infection on HCV RNA elimination from the peripheral blood of hemodialysis patients. The study involved 144 persons, all with HCV antibodies and HCV RNA. Among 144 patients 24 (16.7%) were positive for HGV RNA. After 2.5 years of observation 80 patients (55.6%) were still HCV RNA-positive. In the latter group 18 patients were co-infected with HGV and 62 were HGV RNA-negative. During 2.5 years of the follow-up study 64 patients eliminated HCV RNA from the serum. In this group only 6 patients were HGV co-infected. None of the HGV-positive patients eliminated HGV RNA from the serum. The higher incidence of HGV co-infection in the group of patients who remained HCV RNA-positive (18/80, 22.5%), in comparison to the group of HCV antibodies-positive patients who lost HCV in the blood (6/64, 9.4%, P < 0.0001) suggests, that the co-infection with HGV may delay the spontaneous elimination of HCV RNA from the blood.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań. janusz@man.poznan.pl
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Januszkiewicz-Lewandowska
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wysocki
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rembowska
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lewandowski
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pernak
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nowak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D029407:GB virus C / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D006435:Renal Dialysis
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral