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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, May 1999, p. 1634-1637, Vol. 37, No. 5
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

High Prevalence of GB Virus C in Brazil and Molecular Evidence for Intrafamilial Transmission

João R. R. Pinho,1,2,* Paolo M. De A. Zanotto,3 João L. P. Ferreira,1 Laura M. Sumita,2 Flair J. Carrilho,4 Luiz C. da Silva,5 M. Lourdes Capacci,6 Adávio O. Silva,6 Betty Guz,7 Fernando L. Gonçales Jr.,8 Neiva S. L. Gonçales,9 Gregory A. Buck,10 Gregory A. Meyers,11 and A. Plínio Bernardini2

Serviço de Virologia, Instituto Adolfo Lutz,1 Laboratório Bioquímico Jardim Paulista,2 Disciplina Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, EPM, UNIFESP,3 Departamento Gastroenterologia, Faculdade de Medicina, USP,4 Laboratório Hepatologia, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo,5 Hospital da Beneficência Portugesa,6 and Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual,7 São Paulo, and Disciplina Moléstias Infecciosas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas,8 and Hemocentro, UNICAMP,9 Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, and Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University,10 and Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc.,11 Richmond, Virginia

Received 2 October 1998/Returned for modification 15 December 1998/Accepted 16 February 1999

The prevalence of GB virus C (GBV-C) in candidate Brazilian blood donors with normal and elevated alanine aminotransferase levels was found to be 5.2% (5 of 95) and 6.5% (5 of 76), respectively. Among Brazilian patients, GBV-C was found in 9.5% (13 of 137) of cases of hepatitis not caused by hepatitis A virus (HAV), HBV, HCV, HDV, or HEV (non-A-E hepatitis) and in 18.2% (8 of 44) of individuals infected with HCV. Molecular characterization of GBV-C by partial sequencing of the NS3 region showed clustering between members of a single family, implying intrafamilial transmission. In conclusion, these results together suggest that contagion mechanisms which facilitate intrafamilial transmission of GBV-C may partially explain the high prevalence of viremic carriers worldwide.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Serviço de Virologia, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Avenida Doutor Arnaldo 355, 01246-902, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. Phone: 55-11-3061-0111, ext. 2070. Fax: 55-11-853-3505. E-mail: jrrpinho{at}usp.br.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, May 1999, p. 1634-1637, Vol. 37, No. 5
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.




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