- 作者： Jia-Horng Kao Ding-Shinn Chen
- 作者服務機構： Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine and Department of Internal Medicine, National taiwan University college of Medicine and National taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- 中文摘要： --
- 英文摘要： Recently, an RNA virus designated GB virus-C or hepati-tis G virus（G BV-C/HGV）was identified; however, itsclinical significance remains uncertain. This discoveryprompted us to investigate the virological, epidemiologi-cal and clinical implications of GBV-C/HGV infection inTaiwan where chronic liver diseases and liver cancer areendemic. Our results showed that genetic heterogeneityof GBV-C/HGV isolates exists, and primers from the high-1y conserved 5' untranslated region of viral genome canefficiently detect GBV-C/HGV RNA. Epidemiological sur-veys showed that GBV-C/HGV infection is common inhigh-risk groups in Taiwan, and its coinfection does notaggravate the course of chronic hepatitis B or C. A pro-spective study of transfusion-transmitted GBV-C/HGV in-fection also showed GBV-C/HGV does not cause classichepatitis in most patients. In addition, GBV-C/HGV playsa minimal role in causing fulminant hepatitis. Like hepa-titis C virus, sexual transmission of GBV-C/HGV exists.The risk increases with prolonged duration of exposure.In addition, high-titered maternal viremia and mode ofdelivery are associated with the mother-to-infant trans-mission of GBV-C/HGV. Interestingly, we found thatGBV-C/HGV exerts no suppression on levels of chronichepatitis B or hepatitis C viremia, and GBV-C/HGV re-sponds to interferon; however, ribavirin plus interferondoes not induce a higher sustained response. As to thereplication sites of GBV-C/HGV, our preliminary resultsshowed liver and peripheral blood mononuclear cells arenot the major sites for GBV-C/HGV replication, and thusGBV-C/HGV is not a primary hepatotropic virus. In con-clusion, transfusion and exchange of body fluids indeedcan transmit GBV-C/HGV; however, current lines of evi-dence suggest that GBV-C/HGV fails to cause a disease.
- 中文關鍵字： --
- 英文關鍵字： GB virus-C. HEpatitis B virus. Hepatitis G virus. flaviviridae. RNA virus
