Pathogenicity of GB virus C on virus hepatitis and hemodialysis patients.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the pathogenicity of GB virus C (GBV-C) on liver and the effects of its co-infection on the clinical features and prognosis of patients with hepatitis B and C.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study was carried out in 413 patients with acute, chronic hepatitis B or liver cirrhosis, and in 67 hemodialysis patients. A 20-month prospective cohort study was carried out in 95 hepatitis B and 80 hepatitis C patients. A reverse transcriptase nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nPCR) of the 5'-noncoding region was used to detect circulating GBV-C RNA. Liver function was determined by an automated analyzer for all patients.


RESULTS
The prevalence of GBV-C in the high-risk populations with the virus transmitted via blood was high, ranging from 16.2 to 28.8 %. Co-infection with GBV-C in hepatitis B patients did not affect the clinical features of the disease or liver function. The dialysis patients infected with GBV-C alone did not develop functional changes to the liver. Prospective cohort study showed that GBV-C co-infection did not affect the clinical features, prognosis or negative serum conversion rate of chronic hepatitis B and C.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that GBV-C has no marked pathogenicity on liver, so it may not be a hepatitis virus.
Zhu
Wan-Fu
WF
Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China. zhuwanfu@sun.bjmu.edu.cn
Yin
Li-Min
LM
Li
Peng
P
Huang
Jian
J
Zhuang
Hui
H
D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D029407:GB virus C / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D012367:RNA, Viral