Background: Epidemiological data indicate that Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is transmitted predominantly through parenteral routes, with a high seroprevalence among injection drug users (IDUs), although sexual transmission has also been reported. In this study our objective was to compare the frequency of HGV infection in two groups of HIV-positive patients including IDUs and those with sexual risk of exposure.
Methods: Presence of HGV-RNA was analyzed in serum samples from 82 HIV-infected patients including 52 IDUs and 30 cases with sexual (heterosexuals) risk of exposure by reverse transcriptase-nested polymerase chain reaction. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), Hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), Hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, HIV viral load and CD4 cells count were also tested in all subjects.
Results: The overall prevalence of HGV infection was 10.97% in HIV infected patients, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (13.5% among IDUs vs. 6.7% among the sexual cases). We found a higher frequency of HGV co-infection with HCV in IDUs than in the sexual group (11.5% vs. 3.3%). There was no statistically significant difference between IDUs and the sexual group regarding age, viral load, CD4 cells count, ALT levels and the prevalence of HBV infection.
Conclusion: The overall prevalence of HGV infection was relatively high in HIV infected patients. HGV-RNA was found more frequently in patients with injection drug use than in those with sexual risk of exposure.