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Identification of a novel GB type C virus/hepatitis G virus subtype in patients with hematologic malignancies
J M López-Alcorocho1, I Castillo, J F Tomás
1Department of Hepatology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz and Fundación para el Estudio de las Hepatitis Virales, Madrid, Spain.
Insights
Researchers identified a new subtype of Hepatitis G virus (HGV), also known as GB C virus (GBV-C), in multitransfused patients. This discovery expands our understanding of GBV-C/HGV genetic diversity.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Four GB C virus/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) subtypes have been previously reported.
- GBV-C/HGV infection is a concern in multitransfused patients, particularly those awaiting bone marrow transplantation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the subtype of GBV-C/HGV in 16 multitransfused patients.
- To investigate potential novel subtypes within this patient cohort.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) sequences with existing databases.
- Phylogenetic and bootstrap analyses using the PHYLIP package.
- Cloning and sequencing of the entire 5' UTR for samples with undefined subtypes.
Main Results:
- Initial analysis suggested subtypes 2a and 2b in 12/16 and 4/16 patients, respectively.
- Phylogenetic analysis confirmed these subtypes in only 11/16 samples.
- Analysis of the remaining five samples revealed significant genomic variability and identified a novel GBV-C/HGV subtype.
Conclusions:
- A novel subtype of GBV-C/HGV was identified in multitransfused patients.
- Genomic variability exists within GBV-C/HGV isolates from individual patients and between different patients.
- This finding contributes to the understanding of GBV-C/HGV diversity.
Abstract:
The existence of four GB C virus/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) subtypes has been reported. The subtype was determined in 16 multitransfused GBV-C/HGV infected patients prior to bone marrow transplantation by comparing the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) sequence with 39 available sequences. Phylogenetic and bootstrap analyses were carried out with PHYLIP package 3.5c. In the samples with undefined subtype, the whole 5' UTR was cloned and sequenced. Comparison of distances showed that the isolates from 12/16 and 4/16 patients belonged theoretically to subtypes 2a and 2b, respectively. The phylogenetic tree and bootstrap analyses confirmed this result in only 11/16 samples. Analysis of the entire 5' UTR from the remaining five samples with undefined GBV-C/HGV subtype revealed genomic variability within the isolates from each patient and between the isolates of different patients. Evolutionary distances, phylogenetic tree, and bootstrap showed that the isolates from these samples were grouped in a separate branch, different from the published subtypes. In conclusion, a novel GBV-C/HGV subtype was found in a group of multitransfused patients with GBV-C/HGV infection.