GB Virus C/Hepatitis G Virus Infection Is Frequent in American Children and Young Adults

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 569 - 571
• Main Authors: Handa, Atsushi, Jubran, Rima F., Dickstein, Bruce, Boylan, Arianne, Luban, Naomi L. C., Young, Neal S., Brown, Kevin E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.03.2000; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; AE2 protein; Antibodies; Biological and medical sciences; Blood donation; Blood transfusion; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Female; Flaviviridae - immunology; Flaviviridae - isolation & purification; GB virus C; Hepatitis Antibodies - blood; Hepatitis G virus; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - epidemiology; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - virology; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infant; Infections; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Prevalence; RNA; RNA, Viral - blood; United States - epidemiology; Viral diseases; Viral Envelope Proteins - immunology; Viral hepatitis; Viremia; Viremia - virology; Viruses; Young adults; United States; Human; Prevalence; American; Hepatic disease; Epidemiology; Flavivirus; Infection; Virus; Viral hepatitis; Viral disease; Young adult; Digestive diseases; GB Virus/Hepatitis G Virus; Flaviviridae; Child
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/313702

The novel flavivirus GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) has been detected in ∼2% of blood donors in the United States, and neutralizing antibody to the envelope protein (E2), a marker of previous infection with GBV-C/HGV, is present in ∼9% of donors. The rate of GBV-C/HGV infection among American children is unknown. To determine whether viral infection might occur during childhood, 160 serum specimens (obtained from blood bank samples) from children and young adults with no history of transfusion were tested. Viral RNA and antibody to E2 were detected in 6.3% and 9.4% of subjects, respectively. Evidence of previous or current infection (viremia and/or antibody to E2) was detected in 13.8% of subjects, indicating that GBV-C/HGV infection appears to be common among American children and young adults, even in the absence of blood transfusion.