High prevalence of hepatitis G virus in bone marrow transplant recipients
and patients treated for acute leukemia
SJ Skidmore, KE Collingham, P Harrison, JR Neilson, D Pillay and DW Milligan
Department of Haematology, Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull NHS Trust
(Teaching), UK.
Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is a newly described virus that has been implicated
in transfusion-associated hepatitis. The prevalence of HGV in a group of
multitransfused patients with hematological malignancy was studied using a
reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction technique. Transfusion
histories and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were recorded.
HGV was detected in 29 of 60 (48%) patients. There was no difference in HGV
positivity rates between those with normal AST levels and those with raised
AST levels. Analysis of patients by treatment type showed that 20 of 33
(61%) patients who received a bone marrow transplantation procedure were
HGV positive compared with 9 of 27 (33%) treated with conventional
combination chemotherapy (P = .036) despite similar transfusion histories.
There was no significant difference in HGV positivity between patients
treated before the introduction of United Kingdom blood donor screening for
hepatitis C virus antibody:18 of 39 (46%) and those treated after the
introduction of screening 11 of 21 (52%). HGV infection appears to be
extremely common in these patients; however, the clinical significance of
these findings with respect to liver dysfunction is not yet clear.
Volume 89,
Issue 10,
pp. 3853-3856,
05/15/1997
Copyright © 1997 by The American Society of Hematology
