Detection of HGV RNA in digestive organs

The organ where the GB virus (GBV)-C/hepatitis G virus (HGV) localizes and proliferates is not known. We examined the digestive organs for HGV RNA to determine the localization of the HGV. Two cases of patients with serum-pos itive HGV RNA were investigated. We embedded surgically excised materials a nd digestive secretion materials from cases 1 and 2 in paraffin blocks. The tissue specimens investigated included lymph nodes No, 201 and 202, ascend ing colon (nontumor and tumor area), ileocecum, appendix, liver (nontumor a nd tumor area) and gall bladder. We made cDNA after extraction of total RNA from thin tissue sections and detected HGV RNA with a reverse transcriptio n polymerase chain reaction method. No HGV RNA was detected in liver, colon and gall bladder tissues. HGV RNA was only detected in the appendix tissue . Comparison of nucleotide sequences of PCR products from serum and appendi x was almost the same. Homology between US type (PNF2161) and the serum and appendix PCR products was 92.6 and 93.6%, respectively. These results sugg est that HGV proliferates in the appendix and is carried by the portal bloo d flow to the liver, and may cause a hepatitis reaction in the liver. Copyr ight (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.