Prevalence of GB Virus-C Antibody in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis Li-Li Tseng, Sheng C. Lou*, John Brackett*, Karen Rehnberg*, Shou-Chuan Shih, Shee-Chan Lin, Tsang-En Wang, Chuen-Sheue Chiang**, Nai-Yu Wang**, Dine Yang***, Yu-Juen Cheng****, Shiing-Jer Twu**** Gastrointestinal Division, Department of Internal Medicine, **Medical Research and ***Laboratory Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan *Abbott Diagnostic Division, Abbott Laboratories North Chicago, Illinois, USA ****Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health National Taiwan University

GB Virus C (GBV-C) is a newly identified non-A ~ E hepatitis virus. Its transmission takes place primarily by parenteral route. Patients on maintenance hemodialysis are a high risk group of parenteral infections. This article aims to utilize a recently developed, highly sensitive and specific GBV-C immunoassay to investigate the prevalence of GBV-C antibody and its clinical implications in hemodialysis patients. This study found that GBV-C antibody prevalence amounts to 53% in 270 patients on maintenance hemodialysis. In comparing GBV-C antibody positive cases with negative ones in terms of sex, age, duration of hemodialysis, history of transfusion, presence of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) and B (HBV)viral infection and liver functions, it is found that GBV-C seropositive patients tend to be older (57±12 vs. 53±15 yrs, p<0.05), on longer duration of dialysis (4.7±3.9 vs. 3.4±2.7 yrs, p<0.01) and have higher HCV prevalence (44 vs. 30%, p<0.05). This study indicated that hemodialysis patients had higher prevalence of GBV-C antibody which is related to the age of the patient and the duration of dialysis. In addition, as GBV-C and HCV have a common transmission route, patients with GBV-C antibody tend to display higher HCV prevalence.