Iatrogenic GB virus C/hepatitis G virus infection in an area endemic for hepatitis C virus

GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) is reported to be transmitted by blood products. This study reports infection with GBV-C/HGV from Area-O of town T, an area of high prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). Four hundred and thirty-five inhabitants of Area-O in town T were examined. Three hundred and forty-three inhabitants of Area-H in town T (where differences of age or sex are not markedly different to Area-O) were studied as controls. We investigated the virus markers and conducted a survey of life history in both areas. The seroprevalence of anti-HCV and GBV-C/HGV markers in Area-O was 17.7% and 11.7%, significantly higher than in Area-H (1.5% and 4.4%). The prevalence of GBV-C/HGV markers was significantly higher in the anti-HCV-positive group than in the sero-negative group. Anti-HCV- or GBV-C/HGV positive subjects tended to have a history of intravenous medications at hospital C in town T, suggesting iatrogenic infection through insufficient sterilization of needles and/or syringes.