Hepatitis G Fact Sheet
Bloodborne Pathogens
Section
Cause
- Hepatitis G Virus (HGV). Also known as GB virus-C (GBV-C)
- HGV and GB virus-C were discovered about the same time, and are
thought to be different strains of the same virus. Referred to
below as HGV/GBV-C.
- HGV/GBV-C was first described in 1995-96
- HGV/GBV-C is a single stranded RNA virus belonging to the
Flaviviridae family
Clinical Characteristics
- Carrier rate of between 2 and 5% in the general
population.
- Causes persistent infection for up to 9 years in 15-30% of
adults.
- HGV/GBV-C is often found in co-infections with other viruses,
such as hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
- There is little proof that Hepatitis G (Hep G) causes serious
liver disease at any age. It is possible that HGV/GBV-C may not be
a true 'hepatitis' virus.
Signs and Symptoms
- Almost no cases have symptoms like the other Hepatitis
viruses.
Modes of Transmission
- Transmitted by infected blood or blood products
- HGV/GBV-C can be transmitted by sharing personal items
contaminated with the virus and other similar behaviours
(parenterally), from mother-to-newborn child at birth (vertical),
or various sexual activities.
Persons at Risk
Persons |
Level of
Risk |
Recipients of infected blood or
blood products |
High |
Hemodialysis patients |
High |
Injection Drug Users |
High |
People getting tattoos, acupuncture
or body piercings with tools that are not sterile |
Medium |
People with impaired immune
response |
Medium |
People who engage in
prostitution |
Medium |
Homosexuals |
Medium |
Prevention
- If you are regularly exposed to blood or blood products from
others, try to protect yourself with gloves to reduce the risk of
the spread of viruses.
- If you use injection drugs, ensure you use clean, sterile
needles. Sharing needles, syringes or other drug-use equipment with
others can put you at risk of infection.
Treatment
- There is currently no recommended treatment for Hep G.
Canadian Data on the trends of HGV
- Evidence of HGV/GBV-C is found in 1-4% of the Canadian blood
donor population (2001).
Reference: Bloodborne Pathogens Section, Blood Safety
Surveillance and Health Care Acquired Infections Division, Health
Canada, 2003