[Hepatitis G virus in blood donors]

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Transfusion Medicine
• Hepatology

Background:

• Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) antibody screening began in France in 1990.
• Hepatitis G Virus (HGV) is a newly identified virus.
• Understanding HGV prevalence is crucial for blood safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of Hepatitis G Virus (HGV) in various blood donor groups.
• To assess HGV infection rates in relation to other hepatitis markers.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated five groups of blood donors based on anti-HCV antibodies, elevated Alanine Amino Transferase (ALT), and anti-Hepatitis B virus core (Anti-HBc) antibodies.
• Tested for HCV-RNA using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).
• Assessed HGV-RNA and anti-HGV antibodies using PCR and commercial kits.

Main Results:

• HGV viremia (2.9%) and anti-HGV antibodies (7.8%) were detected in control donors.
• Prevalence of HGV-RNA and anti-HGV antibodies increased in donors with elevated ALT, anti-HBc, or anti-HCV antibodies.
• Six donors were co-infected with both HCV and HGV; none had both HGV-RNA and anti-HGV antibodies concurrently.

Conclusions:

• Hepatitis G Virus (HGV) infection is common in blood donors.
• The presence of hepatitis surrogate markers (ALT, anti-HBc, anti-HCV) correlates with a higher prevalence of HGV viremia and antibodies.