| Author: | Fung, Tak-man |
| Title: | Co-infection of hepatitis C virus and hepatitis G virus/GBV-C : a pilot study in Hong Kong Chinese |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2000 |
| Subject: | Hepatitis -- China -- Hong Kong Chinese -- China -- Hong Kong Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Multi-disciplinary Studies Department of Nursing and Health Sciences |
| Pages: | ix, 63 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Recently, two independent groups of scientists reported the identification of two viruses (hepatitis G virus and GB virus type C) separately. GB virus type C (GBV-C) was named after the novel sequence has been firstly identified from a patient with initials GB. It finally led to the isolation of GBV-C from sera of some patients with non-A-E hepatitis in Western Africa by the Virus Discovery Group at Abbott Laboratories. On the other hand, hepatitis G virus (HGV) was isolated from a patient with chronic hepatitis. They were subsequently found to be the same isolate of different strains. The virus was shown to be transmitted parenterally. The aims of this study were to determine the co-infection rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and GBV-C/HGV in Hong Kong Chinese. Moreover, the liver function profile and white blood cell count were assessed in order to investigate the impact of GBV-C/HGV on the course of patients with HCV infection. Positive isolates for GBV-C/HGV were further analyzed with phylogenetic studies. Previous studies showed that the virus could be classified into three main genotypes according to geographical distribution. The 5'- untranslated region (UTR) of the GBV-C/HGV contains variable regions and the genotypes of the isolates were determined by sequencing this region. One hundred and nine patients with hepatitis C infection were studied. Eighteen of them were found to have GBV-C/HGV RNA in their sera. In this study, the co- infection rate of GBV-C/HGV and HCV in Hong Kong Chinese was found to be 16.5%. The mean age of the dual infection group (HCV and GBV-C/HGV) was significantly lower than that of HCV infection alone. All parameters in liver function profile except the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and globulin had insignificant difference between the two groups. The AST level in dual infection was significantly lower than that in HCV infection alone. With respect to the phylogenetic analysis, five local isolates were successfully sequenced for the 5'UTR region of the GBV-C/HCV genome. They were compared with other reported sequences of isolates from different geographical locations. Two local isolates were classified into genotype 3 which is predominantly found in Asia. The other three local isolates were classified into genotype 2 (subgroup 2a). Genotype 2 (subgroup 2a and 2b) is predominantly found in Europe and USA. None of the local isolates belongs to genotype 1 which is mainly found in Africa. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b15417955.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.35 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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