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Thromb Haemost 1998; 80(02): 242-245
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1615181
Rapid Communication
Schattauer GmbH

GB Virus C/Hepatitis G Virus Isolates in Japanese Haemophiliacs and their Origins

Hidenori Toyoda
1   Second Department of Internal Medicine
,
Yoshihide Fukuda
1   Second Department of Internal Medicine
,
Tetsuo Hayakawa
1   Second Department of Internal Medicine
,
Junki Takamatsu
2   Department of Transfusion Medicine
,
Hidehiko Saito
3   First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
,
Hiroaki Okamoto
4   Immunology Division, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi-Ken, Japan
› Author AffiliationsThe nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper will appear in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank nucleotide sequence databases with the accession numbers AB012004-AB012022
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Publication History

Received 12 September 1997

Accepted after resubmission 09 April 1998

Publication Date:
08 December 2017 (online)

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Summary

Japanese haemophiliacs have been at high risk for infection with parenterally-transmissible viruses through the use of blood products, especially imported ones. Recently, novel transfusion-transmissible virus, GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV) were isolated. We investigated the origin and route of transmission of GBV-C/HGV isolates in haemophiliacs in Japan. GBV-C/HGV RNA was measured by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in 91 Japanese haemophiliacs. Phylogenetic analysis and genotypic grouping of GBV-C/HGV isolates in Japanese haemophiliacs were performed based on sequences in the 5’ untranslated region, and the characteristics were compared with those of reported isolates. GBV-C/HGV infection was present in 19 of 91 haemophiliacs (20.9%). Sequence analysis showed that 15 of the 19 isolates (78.9%) showed sequence similarity to a group in which mainly West African isolates have been reported. The other 4 isolates (21.1%) showed sequence similarity to Asian isolates. None of the GBV-C/HGV isolates showed sequences similar to those generally found in isolates from USA and Europe. The majority of GBV-C/HGV isolates found in Japanese haemophiliacs who are considered to have been infected by imported blood products were similar to those detected in West Africa.

 

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