To assess the persistence of hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection and its association with liver disease, HGV RNA was assessed in the most recent serum sample for 246 long-term injecting drug users (IDUs) and in prior specimens for those found HGV RNA-positive. HGV RNA was detected at the most recent visit in 38 (15.4%). For 31 (82%), HGV RNA was also found at all prior visits occurring a median o...

The role of hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection in acute non-A-E hepatitis was investigated in adults with viral hepatitis. HGV RNA was present in 1 of 28 patients with non-A-E hepatitis but 9 of 22 with hepatitis C (P < .003). HGV RNA-positive patients (HGV-infected and HGV-hepatitis C virus [HCV]-coinfected) developed light-to-moderate jaundice. Clinical and biochemical features of HGV-positive...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is a member of Flaviviridae. Prevalence of HGV in healthy people is very low, but this virus is more prevalent in patients with hepatitis. Besides, relative frequency of HGV in patients undergoing hemodialysis, and kidney recipients is very high. The role of HGV in pathogenesis is not clear. Since this virus cannot be cultivated, molecular techniques such as R...

Comparative sequence analysis of a 354 nt fragment of the NS5 region of hepatitis G virus (HGV) isolates was performed to assess two levels of HGV genomic variability: (1) heterogeneity of HGV within an infected individual, and (2) heterogeneity of different HGV isolates. Comparison of nucleotide sequences of DNA clones from two virus isolates demonstrated that in each infected individual HGV i...

A novel genotype of hepatitis G virus (HGV) was recently identified in sera of subjects from countries in South-East Asia. These isolates were recovered from serum of Myanmarese (designated HGV-MY14) and Vietnamese (designated HGV-VT48) subjects, respectively. To characterize the viral genome in more detail, the full-length nucleotide sequence of the two different HGV isolates belonging to the ...

Background and Aims: Viral hepatitis is a global health problem with a high mortality rate. Recently, a new Flavi-like virus, provisionally named hepatitis G virus (HGV), has been described. HGV does not induce an immune response that is consistently detectable by using recombinant proteins from prokaryotic expression, therefore studies have been conducted by using polymerase chain reaction (...

Twelve children born to hepatitis C virus antibody GBV-C/HGV RNA positive mothers who acquired GBV-C/HGV infection by the vertical or perinatal route were studied. Most (91%) were persistently GBV-C/HGV RNA positive up to 12 months of age. Four out of six cases who acquired GBV-C/HGV alone had normal alanine amino transferase activities. Long lasting evidence of hepatocellular injury was detect...

BACKGROUND RNA sequences of the recently identified hepatitis GB virus C (HGBV-C), also named hepatitis G virus (HGV), have been detected in patients with idiopathic fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) but the role of this agent in the disease remains controversial. AIMS To investigate the presence and implications of HGV infection in a large series of Spanish patients with FHF. PATIENTS Sixty ...

OBJECTIVES The frequency of hepatitis G virus exposure in blood donors varies between 2.5% in Japan to 24.2% in Poland. Therefore there is a geographic difference in distribution of hepatitis G virus (HGV) in the world. We aimed to determine the frequency of HGV exposure in Iranian blood donors. METHODS Blood samples from 478 Iranian volunteer blood donors were tested. Positive anti-E2 sample...

AIM To determine the frequency of GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection before and after switch to the use of virus inactivated concentrates in haemophiliac patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). PATIENTS AND METHODS Initial and follow up sera from 49 children with haemophilia were analysed for the presence of GBV-C/HGV RNA and antibodies to HGV (anti-HGV). ...