Short report: evidence of worldwide transmission of hepatitis G virus

Hepatitis G virus (HGV) has been recently documented in the Americas, Europe, and Australia. Distinct risk populations from North Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia were screened for HGV, in addition to hepatitis B and C viruses. First time recognition of HGV is described from Egypt and Indonesia. Notable is the high proportion of HGV positive individuals among multiply transfused children, ranging from 24% of those sampled from Egypt to 32% in Indonesia. Also, data from Peru suggest the likely association of HGV infection with progressive liver disease. Hepatitis G virus should be considered a world-wide health concern.