GB-VIRUS-C PREVALENCE IN BLOOD-DONORS AND HIGH-RISK GROUPS FOR PARENTERALLY TRANSMITTED AGENTS FROM GAUTENG, SOUTH-AFRICA

The prevalence of GBV-C infection in voluntary blood donors and in gro ups at high risk for parenteral exposure to infectious agents was stud ied. The high risk groups included chronic renal failure patients on h aemodialysis, renal transplant patients and haemophiliacs from Gauteng . The presence of GBV-C RNA in these populations was determined using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the 5' non -coding region (NCR) of the virus. Of the blood donors, 11.1% (95% CI 7.6, 15.8) were positive, whereas 23.8% (95% CI 12.6, 40.2) of haemodi alysis patients and 23.5% (95%CI 15.9, 33.3) of the haemophiliacs were infected with GBV-C. The highest proportion of infection was in the r enal transplant patients, where 41.2% (95% CI 35.1, 47.7) were found t o have circulating GBV-C RNA. Serological markers for hepatitis B (HBV ) and hepatitis C viruses (HCV) were also measured as indicators of ot her hepatitis viruses with important parenteral transmission routes. O f the GBV-C positive blood donors, 3.6% were also HBsAg positive and n one were positive for HCV. The GBV-C positive patients on haemodialysi s were not positive for either HBsAg or antibodies to HCV, but had evi dence of past infection with HBV since 40% were anti-H Be positive. Th e greatest proportion of HCV positives was in the haemophiliac group, 91.3%, none of these were HBsAg positive but 39.1% had anti-HBc. In th e GBV-C positive renal transplant patients, 4% had HBsAg, 13.3% had an ti-HBc and 2.1% had antibodies to HCV. This is the first report descri bing the prevalence of GBV-C in South African populations. (C) 1998 Wi ley-Liss, Inc.