Matzkies F K, Bahner U, Weizenegger M, Bartel J, Cullen P, Schaefer R M
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Münster, Germany.
Clin Lab. 2000;46(5-6):247-50.
Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is a newly described RNA virus from the family of flaviviridae. It is closely related to the hepatitis C Virus (HCV) but is more common than HCV among healthy blood donors. The pathogenicity of HGV in immunosuppressed patients such as those undergoing hemodialysis is unclear. We measured the incidence of HGV in 105 patients undergoing hemodialysis in a chronic outpatient hemodialysis facility. HGV-RNA was detected using a RT-PCR method with primers directed against the 5' non-coding region and the NS5a gene of HGV. Nine (8.6%) patients were HGV RNA positive, eleven (10.5%) were anti-HCV positive, three (2.9%) were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. Four patients were positive for both HGV and HCV; three of them had normal liver enzymes while one showed elevated ALT levels but no other signs of exacerbation of preexisting hepatitis. The prevalence of HGV among dialysis patients is comparable to that of HCV. The transmission route for HCV is nosocomial transmission during dialysis, whereas HGV shows both ways of transmission: blood transfusion mediated by a high prevalence of HGV among healthy blood donors and nosocomial transmission. HGV appears to play a minor role in acute hepatitis, even in immunosuppressed patients.
庚型肝炎病毒（HGV）是一种新发现的黄病毒科RNA病毒。它与丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）密切相关，但在健康献血者中比HCV更为常见。HGV在免疫抑制患者（如接受血液透析的患者）中的致病性尚不清楚。我们在一家慢性门诊血液透析机构中测量了105例接受血液透析患者的HGV感染率。使用针对HGV的5'非编码区和NS5a基因的引物，通过RT-PCR方法检测HGV-RNA。9例（8.6%）患者HGV RNA呈阳性，11例（10.5%）抗-HCV呈阳性，3例（2.9%）乙肝表面抗原呈阳性。4例患者HGV和HCV均呈阳性；其中3例肝功能酶正常，1例ALT水平升高，但无既往肝炎加重的其他迹象。透析患者中HGV的流行率与HCV相当。HCV的传播途径是透析期间的医院内传播，而HGV显示出两种传播方式：健康献血者中HGV高流行率介导的输血传播和医院内传播。HGV似乎在急性肝炎中起次要作用，即使在免疫抑制患者中也是如此。
