Hepatitis G virus (GBV-C) infection among Brazilian patients with chronic liver disease and blood donors

Background: The recently discovered hepatitis G virus (HGV) belongs, as hepatitis C virus (HCV), to the Flaviviridae family. HGV has been isolated from the serum of patients with non A-E hepatitis. However, the association of HGV with hepatitis is uncertain. Objective: To determine the HGV prevalence in blood donors and in patients with liver disease and to evaluate a possible correlation between HGV infection and liver disease. Study design: Sera from a total of 113 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease were submitted to a series of liver enzymes and function tests and analyzed for the presence of HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc, anti-HCV, HCV RNA and HGV RNA. Prevalence of HGV RNA was determined in a group of 87 blood donors. Results: Nine (10%) sera from blood donors and 15 (13%) sera from patients with chronic liver disease were HGV RNA positive. Some 28 (25%) patients were HCV RNA positive, with genotypes 1a, 1b and 3 present in 10, 12 and 5 patients, respectively. A total of 20 (18%) patients were HBsAg carriers. Five (4%) patients were double infected (one with HBV+HCV, one with HBV+HGV and three with HCV+HGV). Conclusion: The proportion (10%) of HGV-infected blood donors was very high when compared with other countries. The results did not allow to establish HGV as an etiologic agent for chronic liver disease. The parenteral route was the presumed means of HGV transmission for only one-third of the patients.