GB virus C/hepatitis G virus in Japanese patients with sporadic acute non A–E hepatitis

Abstract

In Japan up to 23% of the sporadic acute hepatitis (AH) cases remain diagnosed as non A to E (NA–E). The aim of this study was to determine the etiologic and clinical characteristics of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) infection and group the isolates obtained by phylogenetic analysis. Serum samples from 72 patients with sporadic AH NA–E were investigated for the presence of GBV-C/HGV RNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). PCR products were cloned, sequenced and the isolates obtained were compared with previously reported sequences. Seven out of 70 patients with the usual type of sporadic AH NA–E were positive for GBV-C/HGV RNA, suggesting that GBV-C/HGV infection accounts for ≈10% of sporadic AH NA–E patients in Japan. Patients with GBV-C/HGV infection were older (five out of seven were >45-years-old) but their acute clinical characteristics were similar to those with NA-G hepatitis. All patients, except one, had transient viremia which resolved within 2–4 weeks. One out of two patients with fulminant hepatitis (FH) NA–E was positive for GBV-C/HGV. Finally, all isolates in this study belonged to the same type, which is prevalent not only in Japan but also in Asia.