The role of hepatitis G virus infection in patients with acute posttransfusion hepatitis in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatitis G virus (HGV) has been recently identified as a new transfusion-transmissible agent. This study was performed to evaluate the role of HGV infection in patients with acute posttransfusion hepatitis in Taiwan.

METHODS

Sera from 63 patients with acute posttransfusion hepatitis and 61 patients with normal serum aminotransferase levels after transfusion were tested for HGV RNA by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

Six of the 63 patients (9.5%) with acute posttransfusion hepatitis were positive for HGV RNA in pretransfusion sera; 4 were superinfected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) after transfusion and 3 developed chronic hepatitis. Seven (12.3%) of the remaining 57 patients had acute posttransfusion HGV infection; 5 were coinfected with HCV and 2 infected with HGV alone. None with acute HGV infection alone developed chronic hepatitis, whereas 4 of 5 patients (80%) with acute HGV and HCV coinfection developed chronic hepatitis. The clinical course of acute HGV and HCV coinfection was similar to that of acute HCV infection alone. Four of 61 subjects (6.6%) with normal serum aminotransferase levels after transfusion were subclinically infected with HGV.

CONCLUSIONS

HGV infection accounted for 12.3% of acute posttransfusion hepatitis in Taiwan before anti-HCV screening of blood donors. The clinical course of acute posttransfusion HGV infection alone was relatively benign.