HCV and GBV-c/HGV infection in HIV positive patients in southern Italy.
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.
Rendina
D
D
Dipartimento Assistenziale di Patologia Clinica, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia Università di Napoli Federico II, Italy.
Vigorita
E
E
Bonavolta
R
R
D'Onofrio
M
M
Iura
A
A
Pietronigro
M T
MT
Laccetti
R
R
Bonadies
G
G
Liuzzi
G
G
Borgia
G
G
Formisano
P
P
Laccetti
P
P
Portella
G
G
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