Hepatitis G virus infection among liver graft recipients: anatomoclinical correlations

Hepatitis G virus (HGV) causes persistent infection in man, but its disease association is controversial. We studied the HGV disease association in 25 liver transplantation (LT) recipients without evidence of hepatitis B and C infection. HGV RNA was tested by semiquantitative RT-PCR in serial serum samples and its presence was correlated with the biochemical and histological evidence of liver damage. The overall prevalence of HGV infection in this population was 9/25 (36%), one patient being HGV RNA positive since before LT, while the other eight apparently acquired de novo infections after LT. In five cases, appearance of HGV was followed by biochemical and histological evidence of liver damage: the liver biopsy showed acute rejection in two cases, acute cholangitis in two, and acute hepatitis in one. At the end of follow-up, histological evidence of chronic hepatitis was found in one HGV-positive patient but also in three HGV-negative patients, whereas the only patient with acute hepatitis at the time HGV RNA was first detected in serum developed an intralobular gigantocellular granuloma. In conclusion, HGV infection after LT may be seldom associated with acute and chronic liver damage, but comparable histological features can be observed also among HGV-negative controls.