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GB virus-C/hepatitis G virus infection in prostitutes: Possible role of sexual transmission

1997; Wiley; Volume: 52; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(199708)52

1096-9071

Jia‐Horng Kao, Chen Wy, Pei‐Jer Chen, Ming–Yang Lai, Ruibin Lin, Ding‐Shinn Chen,

Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

The modes of transmission of GB virus-C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) other than by blood transfusion are largely unknown. The prevalence of GBV-C/HGV viremia and the associated risk factors in 145 female prostitutes were examined. The seroprevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV), and GBV-C/HGV RNA were 14%, 18%, and 11%, respectively. The demographic characteristics were similar between subjects with and without HBsAg. In contrast, those with HCV or GBV-C/HGV infection had practised longer as prostitutes and received blood transfusion more frequently. Moreover, the prevalence of GBV-C/HGV RNA and anti-HCV tended to increase in parallel with the duration of prostitution. These results suggest that like HCV, sexual transmission of GBV-C/HGV occurs and the risk increased with prolonged duration of exposure. The transmission efficiency between GBV-C/HGV and HCV appears to be similar. J. Med. Virol. 52:381–384, 1997, © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.