Phylogenetic analysis of human pegivirus from anti-hepatitis C virus IgG- positive patients.

Human pegivirus type 1 (HPgV-1) is a non-pathogenic RNA virus in the Flaviviridae family that usually occurs as a co-infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV), though some evidence suggests it may play a role in certain cancers. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of HPgV-1 infection in Iraqi anti-HCV IgG-positive patients, the risk factors associated with this infection, and the genotype of local isolates of this virus. A total of 88 anti-HCV IgG-positive patients participated in this cross-sectional study. Viral RAN was extracted from whole blood samples, and cDNA was produced using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Two pairs of primers were used in nested PCR to amplify the virus genome's 5'-untranslated region (5'UTR). For direct sequencing, fourteen PCR products from the second round of PCR were chosen at random. A homology search was performed using the basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) program to identify the resultant sequencing. The phylogenetic tree of the local isolates and 31 reference isolates was constructed using MEGA X software to estimate the virus's genetic diversity and relatedness. Out of 88 patients included in this study, 27(30.68%) of patients were found to be positive for HPgV-1 RNA. The nucleotide homology between the 14 local isolates and the reference isolates. was found to be 87-97%. Phylogenetic analysis results in a tree with four main parts, which are distributed as follows: 10 local isolates are genotype 2; 2 are genotype 1; 1 is genotype 5, and 1 is genotype 6. We conclude that when compared to other countries, the infection rate of Iraqi anti-HCV IgG-positive patients with HPgV-1 is relatively high (30.68%). The most common HPgV-1 genotype in Iraq is genotype 2.

Preliminary assessment of viral metagenome from cancer tissue and blood from patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

In this study, using a viral metagenomic method, we investigated the composition of virome in blood and cancer tissue samples that were collected from 25 patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Results indicated that virus sequences showing similarity to human pegivirus (HPgV), anellovirus, human endogenous retrovirus (HERV), and polyomavirus were recovered from this cohort. Three different complete genomes of HPgV were acquired from the blood samples and one complete genome of polyomavirus was determined from the cancer tissue sample. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the three HPgV strains belonged to genotype 3 and the polyomavirus showed the highest sequence identity (99.73%) to trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus. PCR screening results indicated that the three HPgVs were present in 5 out of the 25 blood samples and the polyomavirus only existed in a cancer tissue sample pool. Whether infections with viruses have an association with lung cancer needs further study with a larger size of sampling.

Human pegivirus (HPgV, GBV-C) RNA in volunteer blood donors from a public hemotherapy service in Northern Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Human pegivirus (HPgV)-formerly known as GBV-C-is a member of the Flaviviridae family and belongs to the species Pegivirus C. It is a non-pathogenic virus and is transmitted among humans mainly through the exposure to contaminated blood and is often associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, among other viruses. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HPgV viremia, its association with HIV and clinical epidemiological factors, as well as the full-length sequencing and genome characterization of HPgV recovered from blood donors of the HEMOPA Foundation in Belém-PA-Brazil. METHODS: Plasma samples were obtained from 459 donors, tested for the presence of HPgV RNA by the RT-qPCR. From these, a total of 26 RT-qPCR positive samples were submitted to the NGS sequencing approach in order to obtain the full genome. Genome characterization and phylogenetic analysis were conducted. RESULTS: The prevalence of HPgV was 12.42%. We observed the highest prevalences among donors aged between 18 and 30 years old (16.5%), with brown skin color (13.2%) and men (15.8%). The newly diagnosed HIV-1 prevalence was 26.67%. The HPgV genotype 2 (2a and 2b) was identified. No data on viral load value was found to corroborate the protective effect of HPgV on HIV evolution. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided information regarding the HPgV infection among blood donors from HEMOPA Foundation. Furthermore, we genetically characterized the HPgV circulating strains and described by the first time nearly complete genomes of genotype 2 in Brazilian Amazon.

The First Nonmammalian Pegivirus Demonstrates Efficient In Vitro Replication and High Lymphotropism.

Members of the Pegivirus genus, family Flaviviridae, widely infect humans and other mammals, including nonhuman primates, bats, horses, pigs, and rodents, but are not associated with disease. Here, we report a new, genetically distinct pegivirus in goose (Anser cygnoides), the first identified in a nonmammalian host species. Goose pegivirus (GPgV) can be propagated in goslings, embryonated goose eggs, and primary goose embryo fibroblasts, and is thus the first pegivirus that can be efficiently cultured in vitro Experimental infection of GPgV in goslings via intravenous injection revealed robust replication and high lymphotropism. Analysis of the tissue tropism of GPgV revealed that the spleen and thymus were the organs bearing the highest viral loads. Importantly, GPgV could promote clinical manifestations of goose parvovirus infection, including reduced weight gain and 7% mortality. This finding contrasts with the lack of pathogenicity that is characteristic of previously reported pegiviruses.IMPORTANCE Members of the Pegivirus genus, family Flaviviridae, widely infect humans and other mammals, but are described as causing persistent infection and lacking pathogenicity. The efficiency of in vitro replication systems for pegivirus is poor, thus limiting investigation into viral replication steps. Because of that, the pathogenesis, cellular tropism, route of transmission, biology, and epidemiology of pegiviruses remain largely uncovered. Here, we report a phylogenetically distinct goose pegivirus (GPgV) that should be classified as a new species. GPgV proliferated in cell culture in a species- and cell-type-specific manner. Animal experiments show GPgV lymphotropism and promote goose parvovirus clinical manifestations. This study provides the first cell culture model for pegivirus, opening new possibilities for studies of pegivirus molecular biology. More importantly, our findings stand in contrast to the lack of identified pathogenicity of previously reported pegiviruses, which sheds lights on the pathobiology of pegivirus.