CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HEPATITIS G VIRUS

NIH和社区的输血相关肝炎研究 CDC的获得性肝炎表明，10%至20%的观察到的肝炎 病例不能由已知的肝炎病毒：HAV，HBV， HCV、HDV和HEV。调查是否存在额外的代理人或 人类肝炎的代理人，一个CRADA建立了部门之间 美国国立卫生研究院输血医学中心，Genesys Technologies，Inc.在埃默里维尔， CA和CDC。可疑的临床材料被送到Gennos， 它们在逆转录后被扩增， 独立的单引物扩增，然后克隆到E.大肠杆菌使用 Gt 11表达载体。发现了一个独特的克隆， 基因库和外源基因进行杂交分析。特工可能是 从克隆源中回收并显示为黄病毒 与其他家庭成员不同。它有大约25%的 与HCV A同源性聚合酶链反应检测， 筛选临床材料。代理人，暂时指定HGV，是 与约20%的输血和社区相关 肝炎是无关的先前承认的代理，但其 在肝炎发展中的因果作用尚未确定。HGV 在1%到2%的献血者中发现， 输血--通过关联的供受者样本传播。 总之，HGV是黄病毒科的新成员， 在一般人群中流行，可通过输血传播。进一步 需要进行研究以确定其疾病负担，特别是 确定它是否会导致肝炎或仅仅与肝炎有关 由于与另一代理共享传输模式， 目前无法检测。

Studies of transfusion-associated hepatitis at NIH and of community- acquired hepatitis at CDC indicated that 10% to 20% of observed hepatitis cases could not be accounted for by the known hepatitis viruses: HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, and HEV. To investigate the existence of an additional agent or agents of human hepatitis, a CRADA was established between the Department of Transfusion Medicine of NIH, Genelabs Technologies, Inc. of Emeryville, CA, and the CDC. Suspect clinical materials were sent to Genelabs, where they were amplified following reverse transcription by Sequence Independent Single Primer Amplification and then cloned into E. coli using a gt11 expression vector . A unique clone was identified that was novel to the gene bank and exogenous by hybridization assays. The agent could be recovered from the cloning source and was shown to be a flavivirus distinct from other members of that family. It had approximately 25% homology with HCV A polymerase chain reaction assay was developed and clinical materials screened. The agent, tentatively designated HGV, is associated with approximately 20% of transfusion and community-associated hepatitis that is unrelated to previously recognized agents, but its causal role in the development of hepatitis has not been established. HGV is found in 1 % to 2% of blood donors and has been proved to be transfusion-transmitted by linked donor-recipient samples. In summary, HGV is a new member of the Flaviviridae family that is prevalent in the general population and transfusion transmissible. Further studies are required to establish its disease burden and particularly, to define whether it causes hepatitis or is merely associated with hepatitis because of shared transmission patterns with another agent(s) that is currently undetectable.