title: GB virus C and HIV-1 RNA load in single virus and co-infected West African individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Investigations on the impact of GB virus C (GBV-C) co-infection on HIV disease progression relied essentially on clinical follow-up but not on virologic parameters.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To detect and quantify GBV-C RNA in West African populations co-infected or not with HIV-1 and to correlate the RNA load of HIV-1 and GBV-C in co-replicating patients with different clinical conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three Ghanaian populations (blood donors, pregnant women and HIV-infected patients) were subdivided into six groups according to HIV-1 and clinical status and GBV-C and HIV-1 RNA load was tested by quantitative real time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. In one population with HIV-1 disease, CD4+ cell count was also measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of GBV-C markers in HIV-1-infected groups and HIV-1 non-infected pregnant women were significantly higher than in healthy blood donors. Similar levels and distribution of GBV-C RNA load were found in each population irrespective of HIV-1 status except for a lower GBV-C RNA load in AIDS patients. There was a significant shift of HIV-1 load towards lower value when GBV-C RNA was present and a trend towards an inverse correlation between HIV-1 and GBV-C RNA load. A positive correlation between CD4+ cell count and GBV-C RNA load in symptomatic HIV-1-infected patients was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The moderate impact of GBV-C on HIV-1 viremia is unlikely to entirely account for a favourable clinical outcome of replicating co-infections.
authors.affiliation: National Blood Service, UK.
authors.forename: Chengyao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Collini
authors.forename: Kwabena
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Danso
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Owusu-Ofori
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dompreh
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Candotti
authors.forename: Ohene
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Opare-Sem
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Allain
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D029407:GB virus C; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015497:HIV-1; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral