HIGH PREVALENCE AND COINFECTION RATE OF HEPATITIS-G AND HEPATITIS-C INFECTIONS IN INTRAVENOUS DRUG-ADDICTS

Background/Aims: The hepatitis G virus is a newly discovered RNA virus which is possibly transmitted parenterally, Hepatitis G virus is asso ciated with acute or chronic hepatitis and may lead to cirrhosis and l iver cancer, characteristics shared by the hepatitis C virus. Hepatiti s C virus is prevalent in drug users, but the frequency and role of he patitis G virus is not yet well established, Methods: One hundred and seventeen heavy i.v. drug users were enrolled in a prospective, contro lled, randomized study for i.v. administration of heroin and/or methad one, Hepatitis G virus was detected using a hot start polymerase chain reaction followed by an ELISA polymerase chain reaction assay, Hepati tis C virus genotyping was done using the Inno-Lipa strip assay, Resul ts: Hepatitis G virus infection was detected in 35% (41/117) of the st udy population and hepatitis C virus infection in 95.7% (112/117), Nin ety-seven percent of hepatitis G virus positive patients were coinfect ed with hepatitis C virus, of whom 75% were infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 3a, This genotype was prevalent in 48.3% of patients in fected with hepatitis C virus alone, The presence or absence of hepati tis G virus infection had no influence on chronic hepatitis, Twenty-tw o percent of patients who started injecting heroin before 1980 and 40% of those who started after 1980 were hepatitis G virus positive, Over all, 16 patients were infected with human immunodeficiency virus, sis were coinfected with hepatitis G virus and hepatitis C virus, and 10 o nly with hepatitis C virus, Conclusions: Hepatitis G virus infection i s highly prevalent in i.v. drug users, but less frequent than hepatiti s C virus infection, The fact that all but two patients were coinfecte d with hepatitis C virus, 75% with one genotype, supports a common rou te of transmission for both viruses, The course of hepatitis C virus i nfection is not altered by hepatitis G virus infection.