Detection of hepatitis G virus infection among blood donors and hemodialysis patients

Abstract EN

Background HGV is a blood borne virus, which transmitters to humans through exposure to infectious blood and its products.

Since HGV may be transmitted parent rally, hemodialysis (HD) patients should be at increased risk for such infection, as they are for HCV and HBV. Aim: the aim of the present work was to detect HGV infection among both blood donors and hemodialysis patients, and to study the influence of dual HCVHGV infection, if present, on liver enzymes (ALT and AST) compared to that of single infection. Methods : one hundred blood donors, and 67 end stage renal disease patients maintained on HD in the Nephrology Unit was included.

Blood samples were tested for antibodies HCV and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs Ag) by ELISA, and for HGV-RNA by RT-PCR (for blood donors and HD patients) and real time PCR (for HD patients only).

Sera were also tested for liver enzymes (ALT and AST). Results : HGV-RNA was detected in 6% of blood donors and 7.5% of HD patients.

HGV-RNA was similarly detected among anti-HCV positive and negative blood donors (6%), while 6.7% and 8.1% was detected among anti-HCV positive and negative HD patients respectively.

Co-infection with HCV was present in 3 out of the 6 HGV positive blood donors and 2 of out of the 5 HD patients.

In the 6 HGV-RNA positive blood donors, single infection with HGV-RNA was not associated with elevated liver enzymes.

On the contrary, the presence of anti-HCV or HBs Ag was coupled with elevated liver enzymes.

The majority of the HD patients had normal liver enzyme values irrespective of their anti-HCV/HGV-RNA status.

Only out 5 of the HD patients had elevated AST values.

They were HGV-RNA negative, 4 out of them were anti-HCV positive Conclusion : it is concluded that patients on HD had no increased risk for HGV infection and that co-infection with HCV and HGV had no effect on liver functions.

Moreover, liver function tests remained normal in the majority of HD patients irrespective of their viral profiles.