[HGV is rare but possible causative agent of non-A non-B fulminant hepatitis]

We analyzed HBV, HCV and HGV using PCR amplification in the 19 fulminant patients with unknown etiology. Three patients(15.8%) had HCV alone and 1(5.2%) was coinfected with HCV and HGV. In all cases, the possibility of contamination of these viral agent through blood transfusion was excluded. HBV was undetectable in the present study. Comparative analysis revealed that in the cases with HCV alone, all patients showed slow progression. On the other hand, the coinfected case rapidly developed into the end stage of hepatic failure. These results demonstrated that the prevalence of HGV in the fulminant hepatitis was rare in Japan. However, there is a possibility that HGV may modify the clinical course of HCV-induced fulminant hepatitis.