title: Detection of GB virus C genomic sequence in the cerebrospinal fluid of a HIV-infected patient in China: a case report and literature review.
abstract: Hepatitis G virus or GB virus C (GBV-C) is a human virus of the Flaviviridae family that is structurally and epidemiologically closest to hepatitis C virus, but replicates primarily in lymphocytes. Co-infection with GBV-C has been reported to confer beneficial outcomes in some HIV-positive patients. Up to now, however, studies on GBV-C infection in the central nervous system (CNS) of HIV-infected patient have rarely been reported. Herein, we report on a 32-year-old HIV-1-infected patient with cerebral toxoplasmosis and fungal encephalitis. GBV-C viral loads were detected in CSF by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the results showed that GBV-C viral load was 6·5 log copies/ml. We amplified and sequenced the E2 and 5'-untranslated regions from the purified viral RNA from CSF by RT-PCR. Both sequences belong to genotype 3 and there were some minor nucleotide divergence among the E2 sequences from the CSF of the patient. These data suggest that GBV-C may be able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and colonize the CNS of HIV-infected patients. However, the exact mechanisms and potential effect of the infected GBV-C in CNS on HIV-associated neuropathy needs to be further explored.
authors.affiliation: STD/AIDS Research Center,Beijing Key Laboratory,Beijing You An Hospital,Capital Medical University,Beijing,China.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: STD/AIDS Research Center,Beijing Key Laboratory,Beijing You An Hospital,Capital Medical University,Beijing,China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Hepatology,Beijing,China.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: STD/AIDS Research Center,Beijing Key Laboratory,Beijing You An Hospital,Capital Medical University,Beijing,China.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: STD/AIDS Research Center,Beijing Key Laboratory,Beijing You An Hospital,Capital Medical University,Beijing,China.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mou
authors.affiliation: STD/AIDS Research Center,Beijing Key Laboratory,Beijing You An Hospital,Capital Medical University,Beijing,China.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: STD/AIDS Research Center,Beijing Key Laboratory,Beijing You An Hospital,Capital Medical University,Beijing,China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Hepatology,Beijing,China.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: STD/AIDS Research Center,Beijing Key Laboratory,Beijing You An Hospital,Capital Medical University,Beijing,China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D060085:Coinfection / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000821:virology; D005658:Fungi / Q000502:physiology; D029407:GB virus C / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D000069544:Infectious Encephalitis / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000502:physiology; D016781:Toxoplasmosis, Cerebral / Q000469:parasitology; D019562:Viral Load; D014766:Viremia / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); GB virus C; encephalitis; human immunodeficiency virus type 1