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Clinical impact of GB-C virus in haemodialysis patients

Background. Haemodialysis patients run a high risk of acquiring viral hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV) infection. Recently a new parenterally transmittable RNA virus, designated GBV-C, was isolated.Methods. We therefore screened 266 patients on maintenance dialysis and 358 blood donors as a control grou...

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Main Authors: Kallinowski, Birgit (Author) , Ahmadi, Rezvan (Author) , Seipp, Stefanie (Author) , Bommer, Jürgen (Author) , Stremmel, Wolfgang (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: 01 January 1998
In: Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation
Year: 1998, Volume: 13, Issue: 1, Pages: 93-98
ISSN:1460-2385
DOI:10.1093/ndt/13.1.93
Online Access:Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1093/ndt/13.1.93
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Author Notes:Birgit Kallinowski, Rezvan Ahmadi, Stefani Seipp, Jürgen Bommer, Wolfgang Stremmel
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Summary:Background. Haemodialysis patients run a high risk of acquiring viral hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV) infection. Recently a new parenterally transmittable RNA virus, designated GBV-C, was isolated.Methods. We therefore screened 266 patients on maintenance dialysis and 358 blood donors as a control group for GBV-C by nested PCR and correlated the data with AST, ALT, duration of dialysis, transfusions, renal transplants and coinfections with HBV and HCV.Results. The prevalence of GBV-C among haemodialysis patients was 7.9%, and 3.6% among blood donors. Neither duration of dialysis nor number of blood transfusions were associated with GBV-C infection, whereas GBV-C-positive patients were significantly more often transplanted than GBV-C-negative individuals. Transaminases of GBV-C-positive individuals remained within normal limits in all haemodialysis patients and normal in all infected blood donors. Coinfections of GBV-C with HBV and HCV were only present in 0.7% and 1% respectively.Conclusions. We conclude that GBV-C virus infection is frequent among haemodialysis patients. Transaminases cannot serve as surrogate markers, and parenteral as well as community-acquired infection seems to be possible.
Item Description:Gesehen am 06.05.2024
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:1460-2385
DOI:10.1093/ndt/13.1.93

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