Human Pegivirus-1 Detection and Genotyping in Brazilian Patients with Fulminant Hepatitis
Anielly Sarana da Silva, Gabriel Montenegro de Campos, Marcia Guimarães Villanova, Rafael dos Santos Bezerra, Luciana Maria Mendes Santiago, Rodrigo Haddad, Dimas Tadeu Covas, Marta Giovanetti, Luiz Carlos Junior Alcantara, Maria Carolina Elias, Sandra Coccuzzo Sampaio, Simone Kashima, Svetoslav Nanev Slavov- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology (medical)
- General Immunology and Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunology and Allergy
Fulminant hepatitis is a severe clinical disease characterized by a marked decline in liver function and encephalopathy. In a previous survey, using metagenomics in a group of 27 patients with this clinical condition, we observed an expressive quantity of reads of the Human pegivirus-1 (HPgV-1). Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency, molecular features, and HPgV-1 circulating genotypes in patients with fulminant hepatitis. After testing the collected plasma samples, we discovered twelve samples (44.4%) that were positive for HPgV-1 RNA (using both real-time and nested PCR). The positive samples presented a mean cycle threshold (Ct) of 28.5 (±7.3). Genotyping assignments revealed that all HPgV-1 positive samples belonged to the HPgV-1 genotype 2 (both subgenotypes 2A and 2B were identified). Although HPgV-1 is considered a commensal virus, little is known regarding its prevalence and genotypes in cases of fulminant hepatitis. More research is needed to understand whether HPgV-1 can be implicated in clinical disorders and infectious diseases.