RESUMEN
An RNA virus, designated hepatitis G virus (HGV), was identified from the plasma of a patient with chronic hepatitis. Extension from an immunoreactive complementary DNA clone yielded the entire genome (9392 nucleotides) encoding a polyprotein of 2873 amino acids. The virus is closely related to GB virus C (GBV-C) and distantly related to hepatitis C virus, GBV-A, and GBV-B. HGV was associated with acute and chronic hepatitis. Persistent viremia was detected for up to 9 years in patients with hepatitis. The virus is transfusion-transmissible. It has a global distribution and is present within the volunteer blood donor population in the United States.
Asunto(s)
Virus de Hepatitis/genética , Hepatitis Viral Humana/virología , Virus ARN/genética , Reacción a la Transfusión , Enfermedad Aguda , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Secuencia de Bases , Donantes de Sangre , Patógenos Transmitidos por la Sangre , Enfermedad Crónica , Clonación Molecular , Secuencia de Consenso , Transmisión de Enfermedad Infecciosa , Flaviviridae/genética , Genoma Viral , Virus de Hepatitis/química , Virus de Hepatitis/aislamiento & purificación , Hepatitis Viral Humana/epidemiología , Hepatitis Viral Humana/transmisión , Humanos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Virus ARN/química , Virus ARN/aislamiento & purificación , ARN Viral/sangre , ARN Viral/genética , Alineación de Secuencia , Estados Unidos/epidemiología , Proteínas Virales/química , Proteínas Virales/genética , Viremia/epidemiología , Viremia/virologíaRESUMEN
Investigation of an outbreak of hepatitis in Dhaka implicated enterically transmitted non-A, non-B (ET-NANB) hepatitis as the etiologic agent. This observation was made by exclusion in 17 of 19 patients, and confirmed serologically in one randomly selected patient by a fluorescent antibody blocking assay specific for ET-NANB hepatitis. These findings reinforce earlier suspicions that ET-NANB may be an important cause of acute hepatitis in Bangladesh. The epidemiology of ET-NANB hepatitis is discussed, and public health recommendations are made.