title: HCV and GBV-c/HGV infection in HIV positive patients in southern Italy.
abstract: Flaviviridae-hepatitis C virus (HCV) and GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV)--and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) frequently show similar modes of transmission. HCV and GBV-C/HGV infection was assessed in 134 consecutive patients with evidence of HIV infection, living in Campania, Italy. Data obtained from this cohort were compared with those obtained from 252 age- and sex-matched HCV infected patients without evidence of HIV infection (HCV control group). Following enzymatic immunoassays, samples were tested for the presence of HCV-RNA by RT-PCR. The HCV-RNA positive sera were genotyped by LiPA procedure. The prevalence of HCV infection in HIV patients was 19.40% and the largest group of HIV-HCV co-infected patients (84.62%) was represented by intravenous drug users (IVDU). The distribution of HCV genotypes in HIV-HCV patients was different, compared to that observed in HCV control group. HCV genotypes la (50%) and 3a (23.08%) were more frequently detected in HIV HCV patients, compared to HCV control group (5.16 and 5.56% for la and 3a, respectively). Conversely, HCV genotypes lb (55.70%) and 2a/2c (30.26%) were more represented in HCV control group, compared to HIV-HCV patients (15.38 and 0% for lb and 2a/2c, respectively). GBV-C/HGV seroprevalence was 41.04% in HIV patients and 6.54% in healthy control individuals. Differently from HCV, GBV-C/HGV infection did not correlate to a preferential risk behaviour in the HIV cohort. Comparative analysis of HCV and GBV-C/HGV infection indicates that the use of injecting drugs might play a key role in the epidemiology of HCV and, in particular, of la and 3a HCV genotypes, in HIV patients.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Assistenziale di Patologia Clinica, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia Università di Napoli Federico II, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rendina
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vigorita
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bonavolta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Onofrio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iura
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Pietronigro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laccetti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bonadies
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liuzzi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borgia
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Formisano
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Laccetti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Portella
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D029407:GB virus C / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications