Genotypes of GB virus C and hepatitis C virus in hepatitis patients in India, Iran and Slovenia

RNA of GB virus C (GBV-C) was detected in 12 of the 99 (12%) patients with chronic liver disease in India, including two of 11 (18%) with antibody to hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as in six of the 21 (29%) patients with anti-HCV in Iran and 16 of the 54 (30%) patients with anti-HCV in Slovenia. Of the 99 patients in India, 47 were without serological markers of hepatitis B or C virus infection and four (9%) of them were positive for GBV-C RNA. Genotypes of GBV-C in the 34 samples from the three countries were invariably G2 that is prevalent in Europe and the United States. In contrast, the distribution of HCV genotypes were much different among them with 2c, 4d and 5a detected locally, in addition to I/la, II/lb and V/3a. These results indicate frequent GBV-C infection with genetic divergence much less than that of HCV in patients with chronic liver disease in India, Iran and Slovenia. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.