Prevalence of Hepatitis G Virus and Co-Infection with Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis C Virus Among Hemodialysis Patients in Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

Background: Patients on hemodialysis are at a high-risk for acquiring blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis G, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B viruses. The aim of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of HGV infection among patients on hemodialysis and its co-infection with hepatitis C and B viruses in Ahvaz. Methods: Blood samples were collected from patients on hemodialysis during January to July, 2016. RNAs were extracted from sera and cDNA was prepared using the kit. The nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of positive samples were carried out to determine hepatitis G virus genotypes. In addition, to evaluate the co-infection of HGV with hepatitis C and hepatitis B virus infections, the sera of all the individuals were tested for hepatitis C virus antibody and HBs-Ag by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. Results: The HGV RNA was found in 10% of the patients with dominant genotype 2a. About 2% of the patients on hemodialysis were co-infected with hepatitis C virus while 1% of them was co-infected with hepatitis B virus. The statistical analysis revealed that there was a significant correlation (P < 0.01) between duration of the hemodialysis process and hepatitis G virus infectivity. Conclusions: The present study showed that patients, who used the hemodialysis devices in this city, were infected with Hepatitis G, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C viruses. The data indicates that duration of dialysis is significantly related to infection of Hepatitis G virus. Therefore, it is critical to control the sterility of these equipment for intercepting cross-infectivity.

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“…Many studies have reported that the duration of hemodialysis was a risk factor for GBV-C infection supporting patient-to-patient transmission (Hasan et al, 2018;Sanchooli et al, 2018), which is consistent with the current study finding. This could be attributed to nosocomial infections as a result of hemodialysis units failure to adhere to strict infection control procedures.…”

“…In the current study, GBV-C was found in 35 (35%) of hemodialysis patients, 17 (35.4%) of whom were HCV positive and 18 (34.6%) were HCV negative, Table (2). This prevalence is within the range reported in other countries including Indonesia (55%) (Handajani et al, 2000), Germany (50%) (Sanchooli et al, 2018), Turkey (25%) (Akcali et al, 2006), Italy (24%) (De Filippi et al, 2001), Iran (10%) (Sanchooli et al, 2018), and Pakistan (3.6%) (Qureshi et al, 2020). Variable rates of blood transfusion, surgical procedure and adherence to universal precautions may explain these disparities in GBV-C prevalence.…”

“…Variable rates of blood transfusion, surgical procedure and adherence to universal precautions may explain these disparities in GBV-C prevalence. The variation in GBV-C prevalence around the world could be attributed to variation in amplified target region and primers used (Sanchooli et al 2018). In Iraq, the rate of GBV-C infection among healthy people was 0%, hemodialysis was 20.3%, and thalassemia was 14.8% (Hasan et al, 2018).…”

Molecular Analysis of Human Pegivirus (GBV-C) Infecting Hemodialysis Patients in Baghdad, Iraq: A Single Center Study

“…In the current study, GBV-C was found in 35 (35%) of hemodialysis patients, 17 (35.4%) of whom were HCV positive and 18 (34.6%) were HCV negative, Table (2). This prevalence is within the range reported in other countries including Indonesia (55%) (Handajani et al, 2000), Germany (50%) (Sanchooli et al, 2018), Turkey (25%) (Akcali et al, 2006), Italy (24%) (De Filippi et al, 2001), Iran (10%) (Sanchooli et al, 2018), and Pakistan (3.6%) (Qureshi et al, 2020). Variable rates of blood transfusion, surgical procedure and adherence to universal precautions may explain these disparities in GBV-C prevalence.…”

“…Variable rates of blood transfusion, surgical procedure and adherence to universal precautions may explain these disparities in GBV-C prevalence. The variation in GBV-C prevalence around the world could be attributed to variation in amplified target region and primers used (Sanchooli et al 2018). In Iraq, the rate of GBV-C infection among healthy people was 0%, hemodialysis was 20.3%, and thalassemia was 14.8% (Hasan et al, 2018).…”