GB virus C genotype 2 predominance in a hepatitis C virus/HIV infected population associated with reduced liver disease

AbstractBackground and Aim:  GB virus C (GBV‐C) infection in hepatitis C virus (HCV)/HIV co‐infection is associated with a significant reduction in the severity of HCV‐related liver disease. The role of GBV‐C genotype in this association is unknown. It has been suggested that GBV‐C genotype may influence CD4 positive T‐cell counts in HCV/HIV co‐infected patients. The aim of the present study was to identify the GBV‐C genotype in a HCV/HIV co‐infected population and determine if the GBV‐C genotype contributes to a reduction in HCV‐related liver disease.Methods:  GBV‐C RNA from 57 patients who were co‐infected with HCV/HIV was analyzed. GBV‐C RNA was detected by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction with primers to the NS5B gene and genotype determined by phylogenetic analysis after sequencing using E2 gene primers.Results:  Genotype 2 was the predominant isolate in our population and was detected in 50/56 (89.3%) of patients, although sequences with similarity to genotypes 1, 3, 4 and 5 were also identified. There was no statistical difference between CD4 positive T‐cell counts in the GBV‐C genotype 2 and non‐genotype 2 groups.Conclusions:  The GBV‐C genotype distribution in our HCV/HIV patient group was consistent with that reported in other developed countries. The predominance of genotype 2 in this study meant that we could not draw a conclusion for the role of GBV‐C genotype in the reduced severity of liver disease in co‐infected patients but CD4 positive T‐cell counts appeared to be unaffected by GBV‐C genotype.