Clinical Relevance of GB Virus C & Hepatitis C Virus in HIV+ Women

描述（由申请方提供）：（GBV-C）是一种单链RNA病毒，是已知与丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）最接近的病毒。迄今为止，GBV-C尚未与任何人类疾病相关。然而，一些研究报告了GBV-C病毒血症对HIV疾病进展的有益影响-降低HIV RNA水平，增加CD 4细胞计数和减缓疾病进展-主要在男性比例高的队列中。然而，GBV-C的患病率在男性和女性之间存在显著差异，并且没有大型前瞻性研究检查GBV-C合并感染对女性艾滋病毒疾病进展的影响。在一项初步研究中，我们发现GBV-C基因型2与较高的CD 4细胞计数相比，基因型1，和GBV-C基因型2是更敏感的干扰素治疗后清除比GBV-C基因型1。因此，我们建议在一个特征明确的HIV/AIDS妇女队列中评估GBV-C合并感染的存在和GBV-C基因型在调节HIV疾病进展中的作用，以提高我们对GBV-C/HIV相互作用的认识。这项工作是重要的和创新的，因为没有大的前瞻性研究的作用，GBV-C的共同感染在调节艾滋病毒疾病已报告在艾滋病毒阳性妇女，因为它解决了潜在的有益的相互作用GBV-C和艾滋病毒，可以在未来开发新的治疗策略。公共卫生相关性：迄今为止，GB病毒C型（GBV-C）尚未与任何人类疾病相关，尽管一些研究报告了GBV-C感染对HIV疾病进展的有益影响。GBV-C的患病率可能因性别而异;然而，GBV-C合并感染对HIV疾病的偶然作用，以及GBV-C基因型的潜在调节作用，尚未在女性中进行纵向评估。这些研究可能最终导致治疗艾滋病毒疾病的新的治疗策略，特别是在难以治疗的人群和/或获得抗逆转录病毒治疗有限的个人中。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): (GBV-C) is a single-stranded RNA virus that is the closest known relative of hepatitis C virus (HCV). GBV-C has not been associated with any human disease to date. However, several studies have reported a beneficial effect of GBV-C viremia on HIV disease progression - reduced HIV RNA levels, increased CD4 cell counts, and slower disease progression - predominantly in cohorts with a high proportion of men. However, the prevalence of GBV-C differs significantly between men and women, and no large prospective studies have examined the effects of GBV-C co-infection on HIV disease progression in women. In a preliminary study, we found that GBV-C genotype 2 was associated with higher CD4 cell counts compared to genotype 1, and that GBV-C genotype 2 was more sensitive to clearance after interferon treatment than GBV-C genotype 1. Therefore, we propose to evaluate the presence of GBV-C co-infection and the role of GBV-C genotype in modulating HIV disease progression in a well-characterized cohort of women with HIV/AIDS to enhance our knowledge of GBV-C/HIV interactions. This work is significant and innovative because no large prospective studies of the role of GBV-C co-infection in modulating HIV disease have been reported in HIV positive women and because its addresses a potentially beneficial interaction between GBV-C and HIV that could be exploited in the future to develop novel therapeutic strategies. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: To date, GB virus type C (GBV-C) has not been associated with any human disease, although several studies have reported a beneficial effect of GBV-C infection on HIV disease progression. The prevalence of GBV-C may differ by gender; however, the adventitious role of GBV-C co-infection on HIV disease, as well as the potential modulatory effects of GBV-C genotype, has not yet been evaluated in a longitudinal manner in women. Such studies could ultimately lead to novel therapeutic strategies to treat HIV disease, particularly among difficult-to-treat populations and/or individuals with limited access to antiretroviral therapy.