Hepatitis: Handa A

Handa A, Jubran RF, Dickstein B, Boylan A, Luban NL, Young NS, Brown KE. · Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. · Clin Infect Dis. · Pubmed #10722444 No free full text.

Abstract: The novel flavivirus GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) has been detected in approximately 2% of blood donors in the United States, and neutralizing antibody to the envelope protein (E2), a marker of previous infection with GBV-C/HGV, is present in approximately 9% of donors. The rate of GBV-C/HGV infection among American children is unknown. To determine whether viral infection might occur during childhood, 160 serum specimens (obtained from blood bank samples) from children and young adults with no history of transfusion were tested. Viral RNA and antibody to E2 were detected in 6.3% and 9.4% of subjects, respectively. Evidence of previous or current infection (viremia and/or antibody to E2) was detected in 13.8% of subjects, indicating that GBV-C/HGV infection appears to be common among American children and young adults, even in the absence of blood transfusion.

Handa A, Brown KE. · Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Bldg 10/Rm 7C218, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892-1652, USA. · J Gen Virol. · Pubmed #10993934 links to  free full text

Abstract: A novel flavivirus, GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV), has been detected in chronic liver disease patients. It is known that the viral RNA can be detected in approximately 5% of American blood donors. However, the implications for liver disease and the sites of virus replication remain unknown. Possible sites of virus replication were studied by using cell lines and/or primary cells derived from human lymphoid cells, myeloid cells, hepatocytes and endothelial cells. RNA was detected by virus strand-specific RT-PCR and GBV-C/HGV antigen was detected with a rabbit polyclonal anti-E2 (envelope 2) antibody by Western blot analysis. Negative-strand RNA, representative of replicating virus, was detected in lymphoid and megakaryocytoid cell lines and primary vascular endothelial cells. In addition, an increase in virus titre over time was demonstrated and viral antigen was detected, and virus could be passaged to infect fresh cells. However, viral RNA or antigen could not be detected in any of the hepatocyte lines tested. These results indicate that the replication site of GBV-C/HGV is not primarily in hepatocytes and that detection of replicating virus in hepatic tissue may reflect virus replication in haematopoietic cells and/or vascular endothelial cells present in the liver.