Evidence for Probable Sexual Transmission of the Hepatitis G Virus

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 34; no. 8; pp. 1033 - 1038
• Main Authors: Frey, Sharon E., Homan, Sharon M., Sokol-Anderson, Marcia, Cayco, Margarita Torralba, Cortorreal, Prospero, Musial, Cora E., Di Bisceglie, Adrian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 15.04.2002; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antibodies; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Flaviviridae Infections - epidemiology; Flaviviridae Infections - immunology; Flaviviridae Infections - transmission; GB virus C; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - epidemiology; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - immunology; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - transmission; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Injections; Logistic Models; Major Articles; Male; Medical sciences; Polymerase chain reaction; Prevalence; Serologic Tests; Sexual transmission; Sexually transmitted diseases; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral - epidemiology; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Viruses; Volunteerism; Infection; Virus; Human; Sexually transmitted disease; Sexual intercourse; Viral hepatitis G; Transmission mode; Flaviviridae; Flavivirus; Epidemiology; Hepatitis G virus
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/339206

A cross-sectional epidemiology study evaluated the role of sexual activity and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the transmission of hepatitis G virus (HGV/GBV-C) and other hepatitis virus infections in 944 subjects. There was a statistically significant higher prevalence of HGV/GBV-C, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus exposure in the STD clinic group (i.e., subjects who were currently seeking treatment for an STD) compared with the group who never had received treatment for an STD. In a comparison of the subjects with an STD versus those without an STD, the prevalence of HGV/GBV-C was 11.3% versus 4.9%, on the basis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results alone, and 36.6% versus 8.8%, when results of PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were combined. Sexual activity and, possibly, the presence of an STD increases the risk of HGB/GBV-C transmission.