INFECTION WITH HEPATITIS-G VIRUS AND ITS STRAIN VARIANT, THE GB AGENT(GBV-C), AMONG BLOOD-DONORS IN JAPAN

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to survey the epidemiology of recently reported non-A through -E hepatitis virus designated hepatit is G virus (HGV) and its strain variant, the GB agent (GBV-C). STUDY D ESIGN AND METHODS: Pilot samples from 2461 blood donors in Japan, rand omly selected to form cohorts with different levels of alanine aminotr ansferase (ALT) and markers of hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, were tested for RNA of HGV/GBV-C by reverse transcrip tion-polymerase chain reaction with nested primers deduced from the 5' -noncoding region. RESULTS: HGV/GBV-C RNA was detected in 23 (7.4%) of the 361 donors with anti-HCV and HCV RNA. This detection is more freq uent than that in donors without elevated ALT levels (less than or equ al to 45 U/L) or markers of HCV or hepatitis B virus infection (15/130 3; 1.2%) (p<0.001), donors with ALT values between 46 and 99 U pei L ( 0/108) (p<0.002), donors with ALT values greater than or equal to 100 U per L (5/361; 1.4%), and donors with anti-HCV but without detectable HCV RNA (1/93; 1.1%) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: More than 1 percent of Jap anese blood donors were infected with HGV/GBV-C, and the prevalence wa s much higher in those with HCV RNA. Should persistent infection with HGV/GBV-C induce any hepatotoxic sequelae, either alone or in concert with the other hepatitis viruses, screening of blood units for HGV/GBV -C would deserve consideration.