@article {1057,
	title = {GB hepatitis agent in cadaver organ donors and their recipients},
	journal = {Transplantation},
	volume = {63},
	year = {1997},
	note = {Murthy, B V Muerhoff, A S Desai, S M Lund, J Schmid, C H Levey, A S Mushahwar, I K Pereira, B J},
	month = {42036},
	pages = {346 - 51},
	type = {Comparative Study Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov{\textquoteright}t Research Support, U.S. Gov{\textquoteright}t, P.H.S.},
	edition = {35476},
	abstract = {BACKGROUND: The cloning of yet another hepatitis virus, GB virus-C (GBV-C), has provided the opportunity to study the prevalence, and clinical and laboratory characteristics, associated with GBV-C infection among cadaver organ donors and recipients of organs from infected donors. METHODS: Stored sera from a cohort of cadaver organ donors from eight organ procurement organizations, representing different geographic regions of the United States previously screened for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, were tested for GBV-C RNA by polymerase chain reaction using degenerate primers derived from the NS3 helicase and 5{\textquoteright}-untranslated regions of the GBV-C genome. Pre- and posttransplantation clinical data, and prevalence of GBV-C RNA among recipients of organs from GBV-C RNA-positive and -negative donors, were studied at one of the organ procurement organizations. RESULTS: Twenty-one of 76 (27.6\%) anti-HCV ELISA1-positive donors tested positive for GBV-C RNA compared with 6 of 82 (7.3\%) ELISA1-negative donors (P=0.001). The prevalence of GBV-C RNA, extrapolated to all cadaver organ donors, was 8.3\% (95\% confidence interval [CI]: 5.6-11.1\%) and was higher than the prevalence of HCV RNA (2.4\%). Among ELISA1-positive donors, GBV-C RNA was present in 13 of 35 (37\%) donors with HCV RNA, compared with 8 of 41 (20\%) donors without HCV RNA (odds ratio [OR]=2.44, P=0.09). Blood alcohol level of more than 100 mg/dl (OR=9.43, P=0.05) and a positive anti-HCV ELISA2 (OR=4.58, P=0.001) were significantly associated with GBV-C infection. In addition, there was a trend toward an association between history of drug abuse (OR=5.23, P=0.06) and younger age (OR=0.97/year, P=0.06) with GBV-C infection. Organs from four GBVC-positive donors and 47 GBV-C-negative donors procured by the New England Organ Bank (Newton, MA) were transplanted into 6 and 79 recipients, respectively. Among recipients of organs from GBV-C RNA. positive donors, the posttransplantation prevalence of GBV-C RNA (25\%) was not significantly higher than among recipients of organs from GBV-C RNA-negative donors (23\%). Among recipients in whom both pre- and posttransplantation sera were available, one of three (33\%) recipients of kidneys from GBV-C RNA-positive donors acquired GBV-C RNA after transplantation, compared with 4 of 40 (10\%) recipients of kidneys from GBV-C RNA-negative donors. After a median follow up of 6 years, the posttransplantation prevalence of liver disease, and graft and patient survival, were not significantly different between recipients of organs from GBV-C RNA-positive and -negative donors. CONCLUSIONS: Although GBV-C could be transmitted by organ transplantation, the results of this study preclude definitive conclusions. Further studies are required to determine the risk of transmission of GBV-C by organ transplantation and its role in posttransplantation liver disease.},
	keywords = {*Tissue Donors, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Cadaver, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Flaviviridae / genetics / *isolation \& purification, Hepatitis, Viral, Human / epidemiology / *transmission / *virology, Humans, Infant, Male, Middle Aged, Organ Transplantation / *adverse effects, Prevalence, Risk Factors, RNA, Viral / analysis, United States},
	issn = {0041-1337 (Print) 0041-1337 (Linking)},
	author = {Murthy,B. V. and Muerhoff,A. S. and Desai,S. M. and Lund,J. and Schmid,C. H. and Levey,A. S. and Mushahwar,I. K. and Pereira,B. J.}
}
