Association between active GB virus-C (hepatitis G) infection and HIV-1 disease in Uganda

Although not linked to a disease, GB virus-C viraemia has been associated with an improved prognosis in HIV-1-co-infected individuals. Most studies have been conducted on men (men who have sex with men or injection drug users) infected with HIV-1 subtype B, whereas here we report on both male and female subjects from rural Uganda, predominantly infected via the heterosexual route with HIV-1 subtypes A and D. In a longitudinal study of 272 participants, 47 were GBV-C positive and 181 negative, as determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, in both of two plasma samples taken a median of 5.0 years apart. The remainder either acquired (25) or cleared (19) infection. Multilevel regression analyses and Cox survival analyses revealed that participants chronically infected with GBV-C had a slower decline in CD4(+) T cells (P<0.001) and increased survival time (P=0.041) compared with GBV-C RNA-negative, HIV-positive adults. We show that the association between active GBV-C co-infection and improved survival of HIV-1-infected adults is not restricted to HIV subtype B, but is also observed in both males and females infected with HIV subtypes A and D.