HIGH PREVALENCE OF GB-C HEPATITIS-G VIRUS IN A BRAZILIAN POPULATION WITH HELMINTH INFECTION/

A study of GB-C virus/Hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) infection was carr ied out in a rural population of Northeastern Brazil, in which the pre valence of schistosomiasis is 80-90%. Despite the absence of parentera l risk exposure, the prevalence of GBV-C/H-PGV markers of infection wa s found to be unusually increased: viremia, 16.4%; specific antibody, 18.3%. It is therefore suspected that helminth infection influenced th e immune response to GBV-C/HGV infection by shifting the balance of cy tokine responses from Th1 to Th2, resulting in a delayed viral clearan ce. Phylogenetic analysis of viral isolates did not provide evidence f or high rates of sexual or mother-to-infant viral transmission. The st udy revealed that viral strains belonged to types 1 and 2 only (predom inant in Africa and Europe, respectively), suggesting that GBV-C/HGV w as introduced into the New World by white conquerors and black slaves since the 16th century. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.