Chen H L, Chang M H, Ni Y H, Hsu H Y, Kao J H, Chen P J
Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Republic of China.
Pediatr Res. 1997 Dec;42(6):784-7. doi: 10.1203/00006450-199712000-00011.
A recently identified RNA virus, hepatitis G virus (HGV), has been investigated for its role in causing non-A-E hepatitis. The frequency and clinical outcome of HGV infection in children was studied. Two hundred apparently healthy children aged 6 mo to 12 y, and 90 children who had undergone open heart surgery in a prospective study for posttransfusion hepatitis were included in this study. The serum samples were tested for HGV RNA by nested reverse transcription-PCR with primers from the 5'-untranslated region. The HGV RNA viremic rate was found to be 1% (2/200) in apparently healthy children, 30% in children after open heart surgery. Among the 90 children, three were HGV-infected before the surgery. Twenty-four (28%) of the remaining 87 children tested positive for HGV RNA within 6 mo after the surgery. Sixty-five percents of these viremic children eventually became persistently infected at 1 y after surgery. No HGV RNA-positive children exhibited elevated alanine aminotransferase levels during the follow-up period. No coinfections of HGV with the hepatitis C virus or hepatitis B virus were found. Patients of younger age appeared more likely to become chronic carriers. Anti-HCV screening did not reduce the prevalence of HGV infection. In conclusion, in children with open heart surgery, the risk of transfusion-transmitted HGV infection and the chronicity rate have been found to be high. Young age is a risk factor of persistent infection.
一种最近发现的RNA病毒，庚型肝炎病毒（HGV），已被研究其在引起非甲-戊型肝炎中的作用。对儿童中HGV感染的频率和临床结果进行了研究。这项研究纳入了200名年龄在6个月至12岁的看似健康的儿童，以及90名在一项关于输血后肝炎的前瞻性研究中接受心脏直视手术的儿童。血清样本通过使用来自5'-非翻译区的引物进行巢式逆转录PCR检测HGV RNA。在看似健康的儿童中，HGV RNA病毒血症发生率为1%（2/200），在心脏直视手术后的儿童中为30%。在这90名儿童中，有3名在手术前感染了HGV。其余87名儿童中有24名（28%）在手术后6个月内HGV RNA检测呈阳性。这些病毒血症儿童中有65%在手术后1年最终成为持续感染者。在随访期间，没有HGV RNA阳性儿童的丙氨酸转氨酶水平升高。未发现HGV与丙型肝炎病毒或乙型肝炎病毒的合并感染。年龄较小的患者似乎更有可能成为慢性携带者。抗-HCV筛查并未降低HGV感染的患病率。总之，在接受心脏直视手术的儿童中，已发现输血传播的HGV感染风险和慢性感染率很高。年龄小是持续感染的一个危险因素。
