Effect of interferon-alpha and ribavirin therapy on serum GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) RNA levels in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus and GBV-C/HGV

J Infect Dis. 1997 Aug;176(2):421-6. doi: 10.1086/514059.

Abstract

GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) is a newly described virus associated with hepatitis in humans, and GBV-C/HGV coinfection is common in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). To determine the clinical impact of GBV-C/HGV infection in such patients and the effect of interferon-alpha and ribavirin therapy on serum GBV-C/HGV RNA levels, GBV-C/HGV RNA was detected and quantitated in serum samples from 62 chronically infected HCV patients by a combination of a qualitative nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and a newly developed quantitative branched DNA assay: 10 patients were positive for serum GBV-C/HGV RNA. There were no differences in the clinical, biochemical, and histologic features of the patients with GBV-C/HGV-HCV coinfection compared with those with HCV infection alone. Interferon-alpha treatment caused a marked but usually transient reduction in serum GBV-C/HGV RNA, and ribavirin had, at most, a modest antiviral effect.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alanine Transaminase / blood
  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Chronic Disease
  • DNA, Viral / blood
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Female
  • Flaviviridae / drug effects*
  • Flaviviridae / genetics
  • Genetic Techniques
  • Hepatitis C / complications*
  • Hepatitis C / virology
  • Hepatitis, Viral, Human / complications
  • Hepatitis, Viral, Human / drug therapy*
  • Hepatitis, Viral, Human / virology
  • Humans
  • Interferon Type I / therapeutic use*
  • Liver / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phylogeny
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • RNA, Viral / blood
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Ribavirin / therapeutic use*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Viremia / drug therapy
  • Viremia / virology

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • DNA, Viral
  • Interferon Type I
  • RNA, Viral
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Ribavirin
  • Alanine Transaminase

Associated data

  • GENBANK/U36380
  • GENBANK/U44402