Sammendrag
Hepatitis G virus (HGV) and GB virus C (GBV-C) are positive singlestr anded RNA-viruses belonging to the Flaviviridae family and considere d to representate two isolates of the same species. The virus occurs world wide, and the prevalence of HGV-RNA positive blood donors range s between 1and 10%. 1002 blood donors were tested by reverse trans cription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers from the NS5 region and by a commercial test for the detection of IgG antibodies against the putative envelope of HGV (anti-E2). HGV-RNA was present in 25 (2,5%) of the blood donors, and anti-E2 antibodies could be det ected in 105 (10,5%) of the samples. Non of the blood donors with vir emia had elevated levels of alanine aminotranseferase. Only 12% of th em had received blood and 32% had received immunoglobulins. Four (33 %) of 12 partners were HGV-RNA positive, and sequence analyses of the strains showed that three of the couples probably were infected with the same strains, but strains from different couples were not identi cal. Anti-E2 antibodies were detected in four other partners. The p revalence of hepatitis C virus in blood donors from this part of the country is 0,03%. Since the prevalence of HGV is dramatically higher, other ways of transmission of this virus must be important. Our stud ies show that sexual transmission of HGV probably contributes more to the distribution of this virus than transmission by inoculation.
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