BACKGROUND Recently a new human virus (GBV-C/HGV) was identified. With the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) the possibility of a high prevalence of the GBV-C/HGV infection in haemodialysis patients was demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to use a combination of the PCR and a new diagnostic test for antibodies to the viral envelope protein E2 to assess the prevalence of the ...

BACKGROUND A novel flavivirus has been described recently and designated hepatitis G virus (HGV). The virus is transmitted by the parenteral route but it is uncertain whether it is associated with chronic liver disease because liver biopsy is difficult to justify in this group. AIMS To examine histological features of liver biopsy in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) according to...

BACKGROUND The hepatitis G virus (HGV), a recently identified member of the Flaviviridae family, can cause chronic infection in man but the role of this agent in chronic liver disease is poorly understood. AIMS To evaluate the prevalence and meaning of HGV infection in a large series of patients with chronic liver disease. SUBJECTS Two hundred volunteer blood donors, 179 patients with chron...

Background and Aims: Viral hepatitis is a global health problem with a high mortality rate. Recently, a new Flavi-like virus, provisionally named hepatitis G virus (HGV), has been described. HGV does not induce an immune response that is consistently detectable by using recombinant proteins from prokaryotic expression, therefore studies have been conducted by using polymerase chain reaction (PC...

AIM To determine the frequencies of HGV and TTV infections in blood donors in Hangzhou. METHODS RT-nested PCR for HGV RNA detection and semi-nested PCR for TTV DNA detection in the sera from 203 blood donors, and nucleotide sequence analysis were performed. RESULTS Thirty-two (15.8%) and 30 (14.8%) of the 203 serum samples were positive for HGV RNA and TTV DNA, respectively. And 5 (2.5%) of...

Hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection is more common than hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and is frequently found in healthy individuals. Although parenteral spread of HGV is well recognized, other routes of transmission probably occur as well. In a prospective study of mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis viruses, 69 pregnant women with antibodies to HCV and their 81 newborn children were ...

Hepatitis virus infection is an increasing problem. Millions of humans all over the world are infected. Viral hepatitis is accepted as a significant public health problem with several life altering complications. Recently, new viruses have been identified for their association with hepatitis. Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is a single stranded RNA virus which represents a newly discovered virus belong...

Hepatitis G virus/GB virus-C (HGV/GBV-C) is a newly identified Flavivirus. Its clinical significance in chronic hepatitis B and C remains controversial. Infection with HGV/GBV-C was surveyed in 500 blood donors, 130 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 173 with hepatitis C, with chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HGV/GBV-C RNA was detected by reverse trans...

anti-HGV antibodies directed against the E2 structural protein (immunoenzymatic method), a reliable serologic marker of past HGV infection followed by viral clearance.8 Serum specimens were taken at the onset of the disease and stored at –20°C; we found only one patient with HGV positivity by RT-PCR (3%). Twenty-six of 33 patients were positive for anti HGV/E2 antibodies (78.8%) suggesting past...