Prevalence patterns and genotypes of GB Virus C/hepatitis G virus among imprisoned intravenous drug users

✍ Scribed by Anastassopoulou, Cleo G.; Paraskevis, Dimitrios; Sypsa, Vassiliki; Psichogiou, Mina; Katsoulidou, Antigoni; Tassopoulos, Nicolaos; Skoutelis, Athanassios; Malliori, Meni; Hatzakis, Angelos

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 139 KB
• Volume: 56
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(199811)56:3<246::aid-jmv12>3.0.co;2-c

✦ Synopsis

An RT-PCR assay using primers from the 5Ј-UTR of the GBV-C/HGV genome was used to detect viremia, and a serological assay was used to detect past exposure to GBV-C/HGV, in sera from 106 imprisoned Greek intravenous drug users. High seroprevalence rates indicative of the parenteral route of transmission of the virus were found (32.1% for GBV-C RNA and 46.2% for anti-GBV-C E2). These rates were nonetheless lower in comparison to the corresponding rates of HCV infection markers (64.2% for HCV RNA and 77.4% for anti-HCV). Statistically significant univariate associations were observed between GBV-C-RNA positivity and younger age (P = 0.006) and HCV-RNA positivity (P = 0.024), as well as with higher serum alanine aminotransferase levels (P < 0.001); this latter association was shown to be independent of coinfection with HCV and of age by a multiple logistic regression model. Apparently, GBV-C/HGV had spread readily by needle-sharing in prison, while causing acute subclinical hepatitis in infected inmates. Phylogenetic analysis of the partial 5Ј-UTR of the GBV-C/HGV genome from 16 seropositive individuals, which delineated their grouping within genotype 2, also revealed a close genetic relationship between two sets of sequences from 4 drug addicts, 3 of whom admitted to sharing needles while imprisoned.