title: Influence of hepatitis G virus (GB virus C) on the prognosis of HIV-infected women.
abstract: This study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of GB virus C (GBV-C) viraemia and anti-E2 antibody, and to assess the effect of co-infection with GBV-C and HIV during a 10-year follow-up of a cohort of 248 HIV-infected women. Laboratory variables (mean and median CD4 counts, and HIV and GBV-C viral loads) and clinical parameters were investigated. At baseline, 115 women had past exposure to GBV-C: 57 (23%) were GBV-C RNA positive and 58 (23%) were anti-E2 positive. There was no statistical difference between the groups (GBV-C RNA + /anti-E2 - , GBV-C RNA - /anti-E2 + and GBV-C RNA - /anti-E2 - ) regarding baseline CD4 counts or HIV viral loads (P = 0.360 and 0.713, respectively). Relative risk of death for the GBV-C RNA + /anti-E2 - group was 63% lower than that for the GBV-C RNA - /anti-E2 - group. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only HIV loads ≥ 100,000 copies/mL and AIDS-defining illness during follow-up were associated with shorter survival after AIDS development. It is likely that antiretroviral therapy (ART) use in our cohort blurred a putative protective effect related to the presence of GBV-C RNA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. aleia@usp.br
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Tengan
authors.forename: S A A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Levi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D029407:GB virus C / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D015996:Survival Rate; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C107619:glycoprotein E2, GB virus C