title: Prevalence of hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection in patients with chronic liver disease.
abstract: Hepatitis G virus (HGV) may cause acute and chronic infection in humans but its role in liver injury and chronic hepatitis is unclear. In this study, the prevalence of HGV was investigated in patients with chronic liver diseases in an endemic area of hepatitis B and C virus. Sixty patients with chronic liver diseases, 11 with hepatitis B virus, 44 with hepatitis C virus and 5 patients with hepatitis of unknown etiology and 60 healthy blood donors as the control were included in the study. HGV RNA was investigated by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. HGV RNA was detected in none of the patients with chronic liver diseases (0%) and only one patient (1.6%) in the control group. There was no difference between the groups. This observation indicated that the prevalence of HGV is very low in patients with chronic liver diseases and healthy people in our geographical area. The role of this novel virus in the pathogenesis of chronic liver injury seems insignificant.
authors.affiliation: Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, Turkey.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Savas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guney
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kadayifci
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koruk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balkan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kubar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D029407:GB virus C; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000821:virology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000821:virology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral