Hepatitis G virus infection in haemodialysis patients and its relationshipwith hepatitis C virus RNA positivity

A novel RNA virus designated hepatitis G virus (HGV) was identified recentl y in patients with acute and chronic liver disease, Since HGV may be transm itted parenterally, chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients are at increased ri sk for acquiring this infection, 110 chronic HD patients were studied (56 H CV-RNA and anti-HCV-positive, and 53 HCV-RNA and anti-HCV-negative), HGV-RN A and HCV-RNA were studied by RT-PCR, HCV genotype determination mas applie d to all 56 HCV-RNA-positive patients, 28 of 110 (25%) patients were found be HGV-RNA-positive. HCV-RNA-positive patients had higher rate of HGV-RNA p ositivity compared with HCV-RNA-negative patients. The HCV genotypes of HCV -RNA-positive patients mere mostly 4 (48%) and 1b (33%). HGV was not linked with HBsAg positivity. While there was a significant correlation between H CV-RNA positivity and the number of blood transfusions and duration of HD, we did not observe this relationship in HGV-RNA-positive patients. These re sults indicate that the prevalence of HGV is high in HD patients and that H GV-RNA positivity is higher in HCV-RNA-positive patients.