GB virus C hepatitis G virus in Japanese patients with sporadic acute non A-E hepatitis

In Japan up to 23% of the sporadic acute hepatitis (AH) cases remain diagno sed as non A. to E (NA-E). The aim of this study was to determine the etiol ogic and clinical characteristics of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HG V) infection and group the isolates obtained by phylogenetic analysis. Seru m samples from 72 patients with sporadic AH NA-E were investigated for the presence of GBV-C/HGV RNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reactio n (RT-PCR). PCR products were cloned, sequenced and the isolates obtained w ere compared with previously reported sequences. Seven out of 70 patients w ith the usual type of sporadic AH NA-E were positive for GBV-C/HGV RNA, sug gesting that GBV-C/HGV infection accounts for approximate to 10% of sporadi c AH NA-E patients in Japan. Patients with GBV-C/HGV infection were older ( five out of seven were > 45-years-old) but their acute clinical characteris tics were similar to those with NA-G hepatitis. All patients, except one, h ad transient viremia which resolved within 2-4 weeks. One out of two patien ts with fulminant hepatitis (FH) NA-E was positive for GBV-C/HGV. Finally, all isolates in this study belonged to the same type, which is prevalent no t only in Japan but also in Asia. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Al l rights reserved.