Prevalence and histologic features of transfusion transmitted virus and hepatitis C virus coinfection in a group of HIV patients

Background. A recently identified DNA transfusion-transmitted virus has been associated with post-transfusion non-A to G hepatitis. Aim. To determine the prevalence of transfusion-transmitted virus in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Its clinical role in the pathogenesis of liver disease was also evaluated in patients with transfusion-transmitted-virus hepatitis C virus coinfection compared with those with hepatitis C Virus infection alone. Patients and Methods. We evaluated 312 HIV-hepatitis C virus coinfected patients (225 males, 87 females). All underwent screening for transfusion-transmitted virus DNA using a nested polymerase chain reaction technique. In some transfusion transmitted virus-DNA positive patients, we performed a phylogenetic analysis. In 56 patients (20 transfusion-transmitted-virus-hepatitis C virus and 36 hepatitis C virus alone), liver biopsy was collected. Results. The prevalence of transfusion-transmitted virus was 113/312 (36%). The genotype distribution was similar to that reported in other studies. No difference in liver histology was found between the two groups. Conclusion. Transfusion-transmitted virus infection is common in human immunodeficiency virus patients. We found no histologic differences between liver biopsy specimens from patients coinfected with transfusion-transmitted virus plus hepatitis C virus compared with those infected with hepatitis C virus alone. Transfusion-transmitted virus is not clearly associated with a distinct liver injury.