Diversity of GB virus C/Hepatitis G virus isolates in Singapore: Predominance of group 2a and the Asian group 3 variant

• Published in: Journal of medical virology 1999-06, Vol.58 (2), p.145-153
• Main Authors: Wong, Soon-Boon Justin, Chan, Soh-Ha, Ren, EE-Chee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 5' Untranslated Regions - genetics; 5′-UTR sequences; Asian; Biological and medical sciences; DNA, Complementary; Epidemiology; Flaviviridae - classification; Flaviviridae - genetics; Flaviviridae - isolation & purification; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GBV-C/HGV; Genetic Variation; hepatitis; Hepatitis G virus; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - epidemiology; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - virology; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Kidney Failure, Chronic - therapy; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; phylogenetic groups; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Renal Dialysis; RNA, Viral - blood; RNA, Viral - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Singapore; Singapore - epidemiology; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Virology
• ISSN: 0146-6615; 1096-9071
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9071(199906)58:2<145::AID-JMV8>3.0.CO;2-F

The occurrence of GBV‐C/HGV infection was studied in 160 individuals from two high‐risk groups in Singapore. RT‐PCR of the 5′‐UTR detected GBV‐C/HGV RNA in 3/73 (4.1%) of patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis for chronic renal failure, and in 17/87 (19.5%) of patients coinfected with HCV who tested positive for HCV RNA. Phylogenetic analysis of 5′‐UTR sequences from these 20 samples showed that the Asian or group 3 variant was found in 45% of the samples sequenced, thus confirming the high frequency of this variant in the region. Group 2a variants accounted for 50% of the samples with a complete absence of group 2b. Our analysis also provided strong bootstrap support for the subdivision of group 2 into subgroups 2a and 2b. This study shows that isolates belonging to all three main groups of GBV‐C/HGV can be detected in Singapore, with the large majority belonging to groups 2a (50%) and 3 (45%). Only a single group 1‐like sequence was detected within the 20 isolates. Of interest also is that all group 3 isolates were identified in Chinese patients while group 2a was found in both Chinese and Malay. J. Med. Virol. 58:145–153, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.