Carriage of GB Virus C/Hepatitis G Virus RNA Is Associated with a Slower Immunologic, Virologic, and Clinical Progression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disease in Coinfected Persons

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 179; no. 4; pp. 783 - 789
• Main Authors: Lefrère, Jean-Jacques, Roudot-Thoraval, Françoise, Morand-Joubert, Laurence, Petit, Jean-Claude, Lerable, Joelle, Thauvin, Micheline, Mariotti, Martine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.04.1999; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adult; AIDS; AIDS/HIV; Antibodies; Biological and medical sciences; Carrier State - virology; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Epidemiology; Female; Flaviviridae - isolation & purification; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GB virus C; Hepatitis G virus; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - virology; HIV; HIV 1; HIV infections; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV Infections - virology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Major Article; Male; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Middle Aged; RNA; RNA, Viral; T lymphocytes; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Virology; Virus Replication; Viruses; France; Europe; Western Europe; Human; Immunopathology; Mixed infection; Prevalence; RNA; Hepatic disease; AIDS; Immune deficiency; Epidemiology; Infection; Virus; Viral disease; Digestive diseases; Evolution; Carrier; Viral hepatitis G; Flaviviridae; Viral load; Humoral immunity; Quantitative analysis; Hepatitis G virus
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/314671

The prevalence of GB virus C (GBV-C) infection is high in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons. However, the long-term consequences of coinfection are unknown. HIV-positive persons with a well-defined duration of infection were screened on the basis of their GBV-C/hepatitis G virus (HGV) RNA status and studied. GBV-C/HGV viremia was observed in 23, who carried the virus over a mean of 7.7 years. All parameters (survival, CDC stage B/C, HIV RNA load, CD4 T cell count) showed significant differences in terms of the cumulative progression rate between persons positive and negative for GBV-C/HGV RNA. When GBV-C/HGV RNA-positive and -unexposed subjects were matched by age, sex, baseline HIV RNA load, and baseline CD4 T cell count, HIV disease progression appeared worse in GBV-C/HGV RNA-negative subjects. The carriage of GBV-C/HGV RNA is associated with a slower progression of HIV disease in coinfected persons.