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The Incidence and Natural Course of Transfusion-Associated GB Virus
C/Hepatitis G Virus Infection in a Cohort of Thalassemic Patients
Daniele Prati,
Alberto Zanella,
Patrizia Bosoni,
Paolo Rebulla,
Elena Farma,
Claudia De Mattei,
Carmen Capelli,
Fulvio Mozzi,
Domenico Gallisai,
Carmelo Magnano,
Caterina Melevendi, and
Girolamo Sirchia for
th e Cooleycare Cooperative Group
From Centro Trasfusionale e di Immunologia dei Trapianti, and
Divisione di Ematologia, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore, Milan; Clinica
Pediatrica A. Filia, Università di Sassari, Sassari;
Divisione di Pediatria, Ospedale Garibaldi, Catania; and Divisione di
Pediatria, Ospedale Galliera, Genova, Italy.
To evaluate the risk of transmitting blood-borne GB virus
C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) and to define the natural course of
infection, we performed a prospective study in a cohort of multitransfused  -thalassemics during a 6-year follow-up period. We
analyzed serum samples of 150 patients collected at 3-year intervals
from 1990 to 1996. GBV-C/HGV RNA was determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and antibodies to E2-protein by
an enzyme immunoassay. At baseline, 14.5% of patients had viremia and
18.5% anti-E2. None of the patients with anti-E2 in 1990 subsequently became viremic. Of the 100 GBV-C/HGV RNA ,
anti-E2 patients, 10 acquired infection during
follow-up, as indicated by positivity of GBV-C/HGV RNA (n = 2),
anti-E2 (n = 7), or both markers (n = 1) in 1996. The incidence
was 1.7 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8 to
3). Since approximately 19,000 blood units were transfused to these
patients during follow-up, the risk of infection was 5.3 in 10,000 units (95% CI, 2 to 8.5). Six of 22 viremic patients cleared the virus
during follow-up; 4 of them became anti-E2+. Twelve of 28 patients lost anti-E2 reactivity during follow-up. In conclusion, more
than 25% of infections resolve within 6 years; the presence of anti-E2
seems to be protective against infection. Anti-E2 reactivity may
decrease with time.
Blood, Vol. 91 No. 3 (February 1), 1998:
pp. 774-777
© 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.
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