Molecular evaluation of hepatitis G virus and hepatitis C virus in patients with chronic renal failure in Iran

Prevalence rates of hepatitis G virus (HGV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are high in people who have received regular blood transfusion. Patients with chronic renal failure carries are susceptible to acquiring blood borne virus infections, especially viral hepatitis. The aim of this study was to define the actual prevalence of HCV and HGV in Iranian hemodialysis (HD) patients. This cross sectionaldescriptive study the samples were collected from 62 Patients with chronic renal failures and 100 healthy controls. The presence of HGV-RNA and HCV-RNA in serum or plasma and the prevalence of antibodies against an HGV envelope protein (E2( and anti-HCV antibodies are investigated in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis and controls by multiplex-nested-RT-PCR protocol and an enzymelinked immuno sorbent assay, respectively. HGV-RNA were detected in 17.74% of the patients and in 3 of 100 blood donors, also anti-E2 antibodies and anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 24.19 and 19.35% of the patients, and six and five of controls, respectively. HGV viremia was diagnosed in 11 and in 3 of patients and controls, respectively. HCV-RNA was diagnosed in 9 of 62 patients and 1 of 100 healthy controls. The data revealed a high frequency of infection with HGV and HCV in patients with chronic renal failures that have received multiple blood transfusions.