High prevalence of GB-C/hepatitis G virus in a Brazilian population with helminth infection

A study of GB-C virus/Hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/ HGV) infection was carried out in a rural population of Northeastern Brazil, in which the prevalence of schistosomiasis is 80-90%. Despite the absence of parenteral risk exposure, the prevalence of GBV-C/HGV markers of infection was found to be unusually increased: viremia, 16.4%; specific antibody, 18.3%. It is therefore suspected that helminth infection influenced the immune response to GBV-C/HGV infection by shifting the balance of cytokine responses from Th1 to Th2, resulting in a delayed viral clearance. Phylogenetic analysis of viral isolates did not provide evidence for high rates of sexual or mother-to-infant viral transmission. The study revealed that viral strains belonged to types 1 and 2 only (predominant in Africa and Europe, respectively), suggesting that GBV-C/HGV was introduced into the New World by white conquerors and black slaves since the 16th century.