GBV-C/HGV coinfection in HIV-1-positive men: Frequent detection of viral RNA in blood plasma but absence from seminal fluid plasma

Abstract

Sequential paired samples of blood and seminal fluid were obtained from a cohort of 54 HIV-1-infected homosexual males. The prevalence of GBV-C/HGV RNA in the cell-free fractions of some of these patients was determined using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). To assess the effects of HIV-1 and HCV infection upon GBV-C/HGV RNA status, blood CD4 cell counts, HCV RNA status, and HIV-1 proviral DNA and viral RNA titres were also determined. GBV-C/HGV RNA was detected in 8/30 (27%) of the blood plasma samples obtained at the start of the study, and was present at a frequency of 14/64 (22%) in all the blood plasma samples tested. By contrast, GBV-C/HGV RNA was not detected in the 26 seminal fluid samples obtained at the start of the study, including 8 samples obtained from patients for which GBV-C/HGV RNA was detected in the corresponding blood sample. Of the samples tested for the presence of both GBV-C/HGV and HCV RNA, there was no evidence of coinfection. Although GBV-C/HGV RNA detection rates were significantly higher in individuals with blood CD4 cell counts greater than 200 cells per microlitre, there were no significant differences in the median blood CD4 cell counts or HIV-1 proviral DNA or viral RNA titres observed between the GBV-C/HGV-positive and -negative individuals. The failure to detect GBV-C/HGV RNA in seminal fluid samples obtained from this cohort would suggest that further studies need to be carried out to determine the roles of sexual transmission and of seminal fluid in GBV-C/HGV infection.

Viruses in the Mammalian Male Genital Tract and Their Effects on the Reproductive System

“…One group recently presented preliminary evidence that hepatitis G virus (HGV) is present in semen (296), whereas another detected no HGV RNA in semen samples obtained from a cohort of 54 HIV-1-infected homosexual men (143). The pathological significance of HGV is unknown.…”

GB Virus C/Hepatitis G Virus (GBV‐C/HGV): still looking for a disease

“…Although the role of semen in the transmission of GBV‐C/HGV is controversial (Semprini et al . 1997; Hollingsworth et al . 1998), recent reports have suggested that human saliva may contribute to the spread of GBV‐C/HGV RNA (Seemayer et al .…”

Detection of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus in semen and saliva of HIV type-1 infected men

“…To our knowledge, this study is the third one to deal with this problem. The first two reports [13,14] gave conflicting results: Semprini et al were able to detect GBV-C/HGV RNA in six of 12 patients, while Hollingsworth et al did not find GBV-C/HGV RNA in semen of eight HIV-1positive men exhibiting GBV-C/HGV viremia. Concerning the four positive patients of the present study, it is interesting to note that they all belonged to the homosexual risk group and that the viremia had lasted from 3.5 to 43 months.…”

“…To our knowledge, this study is the third one to deal with this problem. The first two reports [13,14] gave conflicting results: Semprini et al. were able to detect GBV‐C/HGV RNA in six of 12 patients, while Hollingsworth et al.…”

“…Recently, considerable evidence has accumulated on the probable transmission of GBV-C/HGV via the sexual route [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. However, very few studies have dealt with direct detection of viral RNA in genital samples, and they have displayed contradictory results [13,14]. In the present study, we investigated semen and saliva specimens from men infected with the human immunodeficiency type 1 virus (HIV-1) for the presence of GBV-C/HGV RNA; our results show that the viral genome may be found in mucosal samples during the viremic stage of GBV-C/HGV infection.…”