Abstract
Hepatitis G virus (HGV) RNA was measured in sera from 60 patients satisfying the international diagnostic criteria of definite autoimmune hepatitis type 1 using a reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction with primers of the putative NS5 region of the HGV genome. Five patients had a history of blood transfusion. Of the 60 patients, 55 (92%) were confirmed as having human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DR4 or DR2 which are genetic markers for susceptibility to autoimmune hepatitis in Japanese. None of the 60 patients had any serum markers suggesting hepatitis B virus infection and 5 (8%) had evidence of on-going hepatitis C virus infection. No patients had HGV RNA in serum. The absence of active HGV infection in this cohort suggests that HGV does not play a casual role in the development of autoimmune hepatitis in Japan.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.