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
Affiliations
Anielly Sarana da Silva
Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14051-140, SP, Brazil
Gabriel Montenegro de Campos
Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14051-140, SP, Brazil
Marcia Guimarães Villanova
Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14048-900, SP, Brazil
Rafael dos Santos Bezerra
Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14051-140, SP, Brazil
Luciana Maria Mendes Santiago
Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14051-140, SP, Brazil
Rodrigo Haddad
Faculty of Ceilândia, University of Brasília, Brasília 72220-275, DF, Brazil
Dimas Tadeu Covas
Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14051-140, SP, Brazil
Marta Giovanetti
Instituto Rene Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte 30190-009, MG, Brazil
Luiz Carlos Junior Alcantara
Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Development and One Health, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
Maria Carolina Elias
Center for Scientific Development, Butantan Institute, São Paulo 05503-900, SP, Brazil
Sandra Coccuzzo Sampaio
Center for Scientific Development, Butantan Institute, São Paulo 05503-900, SP, Brazil
Simone Kashima
Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14051-140, SP, Brazil
Svetoslav Nanev Slavov
Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14051-140, SP, Brazil
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.
