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Vol. 35. Núm. 2.
Páginas 60-61 (Abril - Junio 2014)
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Vol. 35. Núm. 2.
Páginas 60-61 (Abril - Junio 2014)
Letter to the Editor
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Hepatitis G virus infection in haemodialysis patients: Is the prevalence still so significant?
Infección por virus de la hepatitis G en pacientes en hemodiálisis: ¿la prevalencia es todavía tan significativa?
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3208
Gioacchino Li Cavolia,
Autor para correspondencia
gioacchinolicavoli@libero.it

Corresponding author.
, Carmela Zagarrigoa, Onofrio Schillacia, Natalia Li Destrib, Angelo Tralongoa, Ugo Rotoloa
a Nephrology and Dialysis, Civic and Di Cristina Hospital, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
b Virology and Microbiology, Civic and Di Cristina Hospital, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
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Tablas (1)
Table 1. Prevalence of anti-E2 HGV-positive patients.
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To the Editor,

Hepatitis G virus (HGV) or GB-virus type C (GBV-C) is a RNA-single stranded blood-borne virus and, like hepatitis C virus, belongs to the Flaviviridae family. Infection with HGV is common in the world. Little is known of the natural history of HGV infection in the general population. Blood transfusions are the main risk factor for HGV transmission, but unapparent parenteral routes are also known (sexual, perinatal or intrafamily routes). HGV infection has been found in 1–3% of volunteer blood donors, while higher prevalence have been recorded in patients with a history of parenteral exposure, i.e. intravenous drug users, multitransfused patients and in subjects with different forms of chronic hepatitis. Haemodialysis patients are at high risk of acquiring parenterally transmitted viral infections. For epidemiological reasons HGV infection is of interest in haemodialysis patients. Up to 2000 year in European countries the serological surveys concerning HGV infection in haemodialysis patients have shown a considerable seroprevalence1–5 (Table 1). Instead there are few recent studies about this topic. We studied the seroprevalence of HGV infection in a cohort of subjects on chronic haemodialysis treatment. During 2009 we screened 84 patients on maintenance haemodialysis: 2 were African, 2 Asiatic and the other of Caucasian ethnicity; they received a thrice/weekly haemodialysis schedule. All patients were tested for HBsAg, HBsAb, HBcAb and HCVAb. For HGV the anti-E2 antibody was tested by ELISA (Diagnostic Automation, Inc.). We performed liver function tests and other common laboratory investigations. All patients were anti-E2 HGV-negative. We detected: 1 subject HIV-positive (already known); 2 patients (2.3%) HBsAg-positive and 47 (55%) HBsAb and/or HBcAb-positive; 9 patients (10.7%) HCVAb-positive and 7 (8.3%) HCV-RNA positive. Liver function tests, platelets count and coagulation parameters were unremarkable. Nowadays HGV is known to infect humans, but is not known to cause human disease. There is debate about the appropriateness of the concept “viral hepatitis G” compared with the assessed lymphotrophism; in haemodialysis setting the trend of HGV infection ‘s prevalence is probably on the decrease like to HCV infection. The interest of HGV infections is likely to be associated with the similarity with HCV because of shared modes of transmission.

Table 1.

Prevalence of anti-E2 HGV-positive patients.

Author  Country  Period  N° patients studied  Prevalence % 
Hinrichsen  Germany  1997  2796  17.5 
Sheng  Belgium  1998  106  14.2 
Seme  Slovenia  1998  59  33.9 
Desassis  France  1999  120  15 
Fabrizi  Italy  2000  234  15 
References
[1]
H. Hinrichsen, G. Leimenstoll, G. Stegen, H. Schrader, U.R. Fölsch, W.E. Schmidt, PHV Study Group.
Prevalence of and risk factors for hepatitis G (HGV) infection in haemodialysis patients: a multicentre study. <http: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov="" ubmed="" 1812878=""></http:>.
Nephrol Dial Transplant, 17 (2002), pp. 271-275
[2]
L. Sheng, A. Widyastuti, H. Kosala, J. Donck, Y. Vanrenterghem, E. Setijoso, et al.
High prevalence of hepatitis G virus infection compared with hepatitis C virus infection in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis.
Am J Kidney Dis, 31 (1998), pp. 218-223
[3]
K. Seme, M. Poljak, S. Jeverica, A. Koren, S. Sasa Zuzek-Resek.
Prevalence of hepatitis G virus infection in Slovenian hemodialysis patients as determined by the detection of viral genome and E2 antibodies.
Nephron, 79 (1998), pp. 426-429
[4]
J.F. Desassis, S. Laperche, A. Girault, A. Kolko, F. Bouchardeau, B. Zins, et al.
Prevalence of present and past hepatitis G virus infection in a French haemodialysis centre.
Nephrol Dial Transplant, 14 (1999), pp. 2692-2697
[5]
F. Fabrizi, G. Lunghi, C. Pozzi, S. Colzani, C. Tentori, L. Del Vecchio, et al.
GBV-C/HGV infection in ESRD: a serological and virological survey.
J Nephrol, 13 (2000), pp. 68-74

We declare that the results presented in this paper have not been published previously in whole or part, except in abstract form.

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