Prevalence of GB virus C hepatitis G virus ribonucleic acid and anti-hepatitis G virus-E2 antibodies among Japanese children with histories of transfusions or with liver diseases

To clarify the prevalence of Japanese children thought to be at a risk for infection with GB virus-C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV), we investigated the detection rates of serum GBV-C/HGV ribonucleic acid (RNA) by reverse tr anscription-seminested PCR and serum anti-HGV-E2 antibody by ELISA in 162 c hildren with histories of Mood or plasma product transfusions or with liver diseases and performed phylogenetic analysis of the 5' noncoding region se quences of GBV-C/HGV genomes. Children with histories of transfusions were divided into those who had been treated with antineoplastic agents for mali gnant diseases (malignant group) and those who had received transfusions fo r nonmalignant diseases (nonmalignant group). Children with liver diseases were divided into hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and non-A-C hepatit is groups. We detected GBV-C/HGV RNA in 11 of 33 (33.3%) and anti-HGV-E2 in 1 of 27 (3.7%) children in the malignant group and in 3 of 56 (5.4%) and 1 of 53 (1.9%) children, respectively, in the nonmalignant group. Neither GB V-C/HGV RNA nor anti-HGV-E2 was detected in the HBV and non-A-C hepatitis g roups. GBV-C/HGV RNA and anti-HGV-E2 were detected in 7 of 23 (30.4%) and i n 1 of 18 (5.6%) children, respectively, in the HCV group. All children pos itive for either GBV-C/HGV RNA or anti-HGV-E2, except one whose route of GB V-C/HGV infection suggested mother-to-infant transmission, had histories of transfusions. The phylogenetic analysis showed that all isolates in this s tudy were divisible into three groups and that most of them were clustered into group 3 (Asian group).