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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.

Background and Objectives: The local prevalence of HPgV-1 has been reported from different countries worldwide, but the global prevalence of HPgV-1 remains unknown. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to gather data from the literature to estimate the prevalence of HPgV-1 in healthy volunteer blood donors in the world., Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Google Scholar databases for records up to January 2019 and included studies reporting HPgV-1 virus prevalence amongst healthy volunteer blood donors based on the detection of HPgV-1 RNA., Results: In all, we included 79 studies for the systematic review and 63 for the meta-analysis. Based on the random effect meta-analysis of 35 468 volunteer blood donors, we found the global prevalence of HPgV-1 to be 3·1% (95% CI, 2·4-4·1). The pooled prevalences of HPgV-1 were 1·7% (95% CI, 1·1-2·6) in North America, 9·1% (95% CI, 6·4-12·7) in South America, 2·3% (95% CI, 2%, 2·8) in Europe and 2·4% (95% CI, 1·4-4) in Asia. Subgroup analyses based on age, gender or risk factors were not possible., Conclusion: Approximately 3 in 100 blood donations worldwide are positive for HPgV-1 increasing the risk of infection from transfusion of their components to subsequent recipients. Further research on virus pathogenicity is required before recommending routine screening of HPgV-1 for healthy volunteer blood donors., (© 2019 International Society of Blood Transfusion.)

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of Human Pegivirus-1 (HPgV-1) viremia and genotype diversity among healthy blood donors from the Eastern Brazilian Amazon (city of Macapá, State of Amapá). There is little information for prevalence and circulation of HPgV-1 in this remote Brazilian region., Materials and Methods: We conducted a study evaluating the HPgV-1 RNA prevalence and circulating genotypes in 431 volunteer blood donors originating from the Eastern Brazilian Amazon. The obtained HPgV-1 positive samples were submitted to sequencing and genotyping analysis in order to examine the genotype diversity of this virus in the Brazilian Amazon., Results: Our results demonstrated a prevalence of HPgV-1 RNA in 9.5% of the tested blood donors. The phylogenetic analyses of the detected positive samples showed the presence of HPgV-1 genotypes 1, 2 and 3. The most frequently detected genotype was 2 (78.0% of the cases) represented by sub-genotypes 2A (39.0%) and 2B (39.0%). At lower rates, genotypes 1 (14.6%) and 3 (7.4%) were also detected., Conclusion: Our results revealed the presence of genotypes with European, Asiatic and African endemicity in Amazonian blood donors, probably due to the complex miscegenation processes that took place in this Brazilian region. More investigations, including information for the prevalence of HPgV-1 RNA in blood donors from other Latin American countries are needed to estimate the viremic rates and genotype distribution of this virus in a highly diverse continent like South America., (Copyright © 2019 Société française de transfusion sanguine (SFTS). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Recent studies have suggested that human pegivirus 1 (HPgV-1) may have some pathogenic potential. In the southernmost region of Brazil, studies on HPgV-1 are scarce, and circulating genotypes have not yet been identified. The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of HPgV-1 among blood donors from the southernmost region of Brazil and identify the genotypes involved with associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 281 blood donors, who had their plasma subjected to RNA extraction, complementary DNA synthesis, HPgV-1 detection by nested polymerase chain reaction, and subsequent genotyping. The observed prevalence of HPgV-1-RNA was 21.7%. The only variable that was significantly associated with virus infection was the relationship status of the donor. Single or no fixed partner blood donors were twice as likely to have HPgV-1 (95% CI, 1.12 to 4.56; P = 0.02). Genotype 2-subtypes 2b (69%) and 2a (29%)-was the most prevalent. In the absence of risk factors for parenteral transmission, it is likely that sexual transmission was the route of infection in the individuals studied. Further work will be needed to determine whether this virus is inert in the population, or if there are potential deleterious effects in infected individuals., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Human pegivirus-1 (HPgV-1) is a member of the Flaviviridae family whose genomic organization and mode of cellular entry is similar to that of hepatitis C virus (HCV). The E2 glycoprotein of HPgV-1 is the principle mediator in the virus-cell interaction and as such harbors most of HPgV-1's antigenic determinants. HPgV-1 persists in blood cell precursors which are increasingly used for cell therapy., Methods: We studied HPgV-1 prevalence in a large cohort of females donating fetal tissues for clinical use. PCR was used for screening and estimation of viral load in viremic plasma and fetal samples. Sequence analysis was performed for portions of the 5'-untranslated and E2 regions of HPgV-1 purified from donor plasmas. Sequencing was followed by phylogenetic analysis., Results: HPgV-1 was revealed in 13.7% of plasmas, 5.0% of fetal tissues, 5.4% of chorions, exceeding the prevalence of HCV in these types of samples. Transmission of HPgV-1 occurred in 25.8% of traceable mother-chorion-fetal tissues triads. For HPgV-1-positive donors, a high viral load in plasma appears to be a prerequisite for transmission. However, about one third of fetal samples acquired infection from non-viremic individuals. Sequencing of 5'-untranslated region placed most HPgV-1 samples to genotype 2a. At the same time, a portion of E2 sequence provided a much weaker support for this grouping apparently due to a higher variability. Polymorphisms were detected in important structural and antigenic motifs of E2., Conclusion: HPgV-1 is efficiently transmitted to fetus at early embryonic stages. A high variability in E2 may pose a risk of generation of pathogenic subtypes. Although HPgV-1 is considered benign and no longer tested mandatorily in blood banks, the virus may have adversary effects at target niches if delivered with infected graft upon cell transplantation. This argues for the necessity of HPgV-1 testing of cell samples aimed for clinical use.

Human Pegivirus (HPgV), formerly GB virus-C/Hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV), collectively known as GBV-C, is widely spread and has been reported to be associated with non-A-E hepatitis. To our knowledge, no previous study was conducted about HPgV in Qatar. Thus, the objectives of this study were as follows: (i) to determine the rates of HPgV infection in Qatar among healthy blood donors and HBV-infected patients, and (ii) to determine the most predominant HPgV genotype in Qatar. A total of 714 blood plasma samples from healthy donors (612) and HBV-infected patients (102) were collected. RNA was extracted, reversed transcribed, and then subjected for HPgV detection by two round-nested PCR using primers amplifying a 208 bp of 5'-UTR of the HPgV. For genotyping, the 5'-UTR PCR products (from 25 randomly picked samples) were cloned and sequenced. The overall infection rate of HPgV in Qatar was 13.3%. There was no significant difference (P = 0.41) in the infection rates between healthy donor (13.7%) and in HBV-infected patients (10.7%). Moreover, we did not find any significant association between HPgV infection rates and nationality, sex, or age (P > 0.05). Sequence analysis of 40 5'-UTR PCR amplicons yielded the European genotype 2 as most predominant in Qatar, although other genotypes (5 and 7) were also present. Our results indicate that there is no strong correlation between HPgV infection rate, condition, nationality, age, and sex, and genotype 2 is most predominant in Qatar., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Introduction: Screening blood donors for blood-borne pathogens is very critical for the recipient's safety. Similar to hepatitis B and C infections, hepatitis G infection is transmitted through contaminated blood and causes acute and chronic hepatitis. Previous reports have shown that the prevalence of hepatitis G virus (HGV) RNA among healthy Saudi donors was 1%-2%. However, the exposure rate of this virus has never been studied. We hypothesized that the prevalence of HGV infection may have changed overtime due to socio-economic and environmental factors. Since hepatitis B and C infections are endemic in Saudi Arabia, we investigated the exposure rate of HGV infection in healthy donors and chronically infected hepatitis B and C patients., Methodology: A prospective study was done on healthy donors and patients with chronic HBV and HCV infections. Hepatitis B and C viral loads were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. HGV exposure rate was evaluated by detection of HGV antibodies., Results: Analysis of samples from healthy donors (n = 210), chronic HBV+ patients (n = 169), and chronic HCV+ patients (n = 105) showed that nine samples (4.3%), seven samples (4.1%), and four samples (3.8%) were positive for HGV antibodies, respectively. The non-significant difference in the exposure rates of HGV between the study groups may indicate that HGV infection occurs independent of HBV or HCV infections., Conclusions: We showed for the first time that the exposure rate of HGV infection among the Saudi population is 4.3%, and we recommend HGV screening for all blood donors.

Objectives: GB virus-C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV), collectively known as GBV-C, has been reported to be associated with non-A-E hepatitis. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of infection and genotypic characteristics of GBV-C among Kuwaiti and Jordanian blood donors., Methods: A total of 334 plasma/serum samples from healthy blood donors in Kuwait (n = 130) and Jordan (n = 204) were screened using RT-PCR/nested PCR of the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR). Phylogenetic analysis was conducted by sequencing the 5'-UTR region of the randomly picked clones representative of the two populations., Results: The results obtained showed that the rate of GBV-C infection in healthy Kuwaiti and Jordanian blood donors was 24.6 and 9.8%, respectively. Sequence analysis of the 5'-UTR using 4 and 6 clones from healthy Kuwaiti and Jordanian blood donors, respectively, revealed the prevalence of the European/North American genotype 2 when compared to the 6 reference genotypes in GenBank., Conclusion: GBV-C/HGV was detectable at rates relatively comparable with other regions in the world in Kuwaiti and Jordanian blood donors, although the significance of which remains controversial. More interesting is the dominance of GBV-C genotype 2 among the two populations, which remains to be explained., (Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

This study focuses on the prevalence of hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) in hemodialysis patients and blood donors in Denizli (located at Aegean region of Turkey). A total of 100 patients (mean age: 56.8 +/- 13.3 years; 46 female) receiving hemodialysis and 100 blood donors (mean age: 31.3 +/- 8.1 years; 8 female) were included in the study. The presence of GBV-C/HGV RNA was determined in all patients by reverse transcriptase-PCR and the presence of GBV-C/HGV anti-E2 antibodies was determined by a commercial enzyme immunoassay (Diagnostic Automation, INC). Viral RNA positivity was determined in 14 (14%) of the hemodialysis patients and 2 (2%) of the blood donors, the difference being statistically significant (p < 0.05). GBV-C/HGV anti-E2 antibodies were detected in 1 (1%) of the hemodialysis patients and 3 (3%) of the blood donors. Anti-E2 positive patient also revealed positive result for viral RNA. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of anti-E2 positivity. The prevalence of GBV-C/HGV was 14% in hemodialysis patients and 5% in blood donors (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in terms of duration of hemodialysis, serum ALT levels, age or gender between GBV-C/HGV positive and negative hemodialysis patients. In conclusion, since hemodialysis patients are at an increased risk of parenteral transmission, they have significantly higher GBV-C/HGV viremia rates and prevalence when compared to blood donors. However, the prevalence of GBV-C/HGV and coexistence between GBV-C/HGV and hepatitis C virus have been decreasing in our region owing to increased hygienic precautions in hemodialysis units, avoidance of unnecessary blood transfusions and more widespread use of erythropoietin.

Objectives: The frequency of hepatitis G virus exposure in blood donors varies between 2.5% in Japan to 24.2% in Poland. Therefore there is a geographic difference in distribution of hepatitis G virus (HGV) in the world. We aimed to determine the frequency of HGV exposure in Iranian blood donors., Methods: Blood samples from 478 Iranian volunteer blood donors were tested. Positive anti-E2 samples were tested for HGV RNA by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) using primers derived from the NS5A region of the viral genome., Results: Of the 478 donors enrolled in our study, five (1%) were positive for anti-E2. Only one donor out of a total of three HBsAg-positive donors was co-infected with HGV, but we did not find HGV and HCV co-infection in our subjects. HGV RNA was not observed in the five anti-E2-positive subjects. We did not find HGV viremia and antibody at the same time., Conclusion: A low frequency of HGV exposure in blood donors was found in this study. We did not observe co-infection of HGV with HCV in our subjects, supporting the theory that although the parenteral route is the most effective means of transmission, other routes such as sexual contact and intra-familial contact may also play a role in HGV transmission.

Hepatitis G virus/GB virus-C (HGV/GBV-C) is a newly identified Flavivirus. Its clinical significance in chronic hepatitis B and C remains controversial. Infection with HGV/GBV-C was surveyed in 500 blood donors, 130 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 173 with hepatitis C, with chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HGV/GBV-C RNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. An antibody to HGV/GBV-C's second envelope protein (anti-E2 Ab) was detected using an enzyme immunoassay. The prevalence of HGV/GBV-C RNA was 3.4% and the exposure rate 10.2% in blood donors. The prevalence of HGV/GBV-C RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C was 7.7 and 17.3%, respectively (P = 0.002). The prevalence of the HGV/GBV-C infection in hepatitis B carriers increased with the severity of chronic liver disease and risk of HCC. The age and duration of hepatitis B virus infection were the more important contributing factors. Clinical and virological characteristics were comparable between those with and without coinfection of HGV/GBV-C and hepatitis C. The seroconversion rate was high. Coinfection of HGV/GBV-C with hepatitis B or C does not affect disease severity, but accelerates the progression of chronic liver disease and the development of HCC.

Viruses GBV-C/HGV and TTV were identified in patients with hepatitis of unknown etiology. Aim of our study was to assess the frequency of infection markers of these viruses in blood donors and haemophilia patients treated with virucidaly activated and non inactivated blood products. Material and methods. TTV DNA (by PCR using primers to coding ORFI and non-coding region NC) and GBV-C/HGV (RNA by RT-PCR and anti-E2 by EIA) were tested in blood donors (200 for TTV and 219 for GBV-C/HGV), 122 haemophilia patients treated in the past with non inactivated blood products and in 20 haemophilia children treated exclusively with inactivated clotting preparations. Results RNA GBV-C/HGV were identified in 3,2%; 23,7% and in 0%, respectively blood donors, adult and children haemophilia patients. Antibody anti-E2 were found in 23,6%; 37% i 25% of studied groups respectively. DNA TTV was detected most frequently by NC than ORF1 primers: in 78% vs.10% of blood donors, 100% vs 43,5% of adult haemophilia patients and in 95% vs. 15% young haemophiliacs. Conclusions Haemophilia patients were at risk of GBV-C/HGV and TTV infection. Following implementation of viral inactivation methods in the process of clotting factor concentrates production, the risk for GBV-C/HGV transmission was significantly reduced and in less extant for TTV.

We investigated the prevalence and genotypic distribution of GB virus-C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) and TT virus (TTV) in blood donors, mentally retarded children and four groups of patients living in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. The prevalence and genetic analysis of TTV were determined by using the primers of the UTR and ORF1 regions of TTV, respectively. Reverse transcription nested (RT-n)-PCR was used to amplify 5' UTR of GBV-C/HGV. Genotyping of HGV was carried out by PCR-based genotyping assay while RFLP was conducted to determine the genotypes of TTV. TTV DNA was detected in 118 of 410 sera tested, giving an overall prevalence of 28.7%; GBV-C/HGV-RNA was detected in only 17 cases, giving an overall prevalence of 4.1%. No significant differences were observed in the number of positive or negative tests for GBV-C/HGV and TTV according to duration of illness or mean duration of institutionalization in any of the groups studied. Although all samples from the study population belonged to genotypes 1 and 4, the most common TTV genotype is G2. In conclusion, our results indicate a low endemicity of GBV-C/HGV and TTV infection in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. The presence of G2 strains reveals the limited genetic diversity of the GBV-C/HGV circulating in Turkey. We suggest that TTV infection of genotypes 1 and 4 is prevalent in the same region.

Hepatitis virus infection is an increasing problem. Millions of humans all over the world are infected. Viral hepatitis is accepted as a significant public health problem with several life altering complications. Recently, new viruses have been identified for their association with hepatitis. Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is a single stranded RNA virus which represents a newly discovered virus belonging to the flavivirus family. Epidemiological data indicate that the virus is transmitted via blood/blood products, sexually and vertically from infected mothers to children. There are some previous reports on the prevalence of HGV infection among the blood/blood products. The purpose of this study is to summarize the prevalence of HGV infection, defined as HGV RNA positivity, among the voluntary blood donors in the previous reports. Due to this study, there have been at least 30 reports. Of 13,610 documented voluntary donors, there are 649 cases with HGV RNA positivity. The summative percentage for HGV RNA positivity is 4.8%: 4.5% in Caucasian, 3.4 % in Asian and 17.2% in Negroid. There is no significant association between ethnicity of donors and prevalence of HGV RNA positivity (p > 0.05). The HGV infection seems to distribute in all ethnicities all over the world, implying the global importance of this hepatitis virus infection. Screening for HGV RNA might be an important test in blood bank process in the future.

The hepatitis G virus (HGV) or GB virus C (GBV-C) was discovered in 1995 as a putative agent of post-transfusion, non-A-E hepatitis. The present study was carried out with the aim to find the prevalence of this virus among various subject groups at risk for parenteral transmission as well as in healthy control subjects both individually and along with other parenterally transmitted hepatitis viruses. Of the 402 subjects tested, 6.22% were positive for the HBsAg surface antigen, 7.21% were positive for HCV RNA while only 2.24% were seen to be carriers of the HGV/GBV-C RNA. All the HGV/GBV-C positive cases were either multi-transfused thalassaemic subjects or hemodialysis patients. None of the healthy control subjects showed presence of the virus. Seven of the HGV/GBV-C positive subjects showed co-infection with one or more additional virological markers. Also, of the 9 HGV/GBV-C positive subjects, 5 showed elevated ALT levels while 4 showed elevated alkaline phosphatase levels. Overall our findings seem to indicate that HGV infections generally are asymptomatic, transient and self-limiting and the virus does not seem to show a very high prevalence among the Indian population.

Background: The prevalence of GB virus C (GBV-C)/HGV is high in individuals with parenteral risk factors. The frequency of GBV-C/HGV in blood donors is significantly lower, however it is still far above other parenterally transmitted viruses like HBV and HCV. Therefore, transmission routes apart from parenteral transmission must be considered., Study Design and Methods: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of GBV-C/HGV in blood donors and relatives of GBV-C/HGV-positive and -negative blood donors. Prevalence was also analyzed in aplastic anemia patients. Samples were tested by RT-PCR and partially by ELISA. Positive isolates were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed., Results: A total of 5733 blood donors were PCR tested and 90 were positive (1.6%). Of these, 98 relatives could be tested. Viremia was found in 14.3 percent and anti-E2 in 29.5 percent, whereas only 1.1 percent of the relatives of PCR-negative donors were viremic and 8.5 percent were anti-E2 positive. Probable virus transmission could be shown in two couples and in six mother-child pairs by sequencing of isolates indicating horizontal and vertical virus transmission, respectively. Recipients of GBV-C/HGV RNA-positive blood products were shown to be infected at a rate of 58 percent (18/31). Aplastic anemia patients were positive at a rate of 32 percent (17/53)., Conclusion: The high percentage of 14.3 percent of GBV-C/HGV PCR-positive relatives of GBV-C/HGV-positive blood donors suggests intrafamilial transmission. Sequence analyses revealed vertical and horizontal transmission. Although parenteral transmission is highly efficient for GBV-C/HGV (58% of recipients of GBV-C/HGV RNA-positive blood products and 32% of aplastic anemia patients), it appears that sexual and vertical transmission are the most common transmission routes.

Although it seems to be rather unlikely, it still remains unclear whether hepatitis G virus (HGV) is involved in post-transfusion hepatitis. Prevalence of HGV viremia and persistence in blood donors was determined. ALT and AST values of viremic and non-viremic donations of the donors were compared. 25,006 blood donations were tested for the presence of HGV RNA by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. ALT and AST were determined for every donation. Sequential serum samples of 105 HGV RNA-positive donors were tested for both HGV RNA and antibodies to the HGV-E2 antigen (anti-E2) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Stored serum samples of 66 patients from before and after transfusion of HGV RNA-positive units were also tested. 1.6% of the 25,006 blood donations were HGV RNA-positive. One of 105 HGV RNA-positive blood donors showed viremia for more than 6 years. Three donors showed viremia and HGV antibody at the same time. There is no significant difference in ALT and AST activity in HGV RNA-positive donors compared to a control group of healthy donors and also before and after seroconversion to HGV RNA-negative (p > 0.05). Transmission of HGV by blood components has been shown in transfused patients. The prevalence of HGV infection in patients (n = 66) is 17%. Transmission of HGV by blood components does occur. Patients have a significantly higher prevalence of HGV viremia compared to blood donors. In blood donors no liver affection by means of ALT or AST elevation can be seen. Long persistence of HGV viremia is common and the presence of anti-E2 does not exclude viremia.

Aim: To determine the prevalences of TTV and HGV infections among blood donors and patients with chronic liver disease in Korea, to investigate the association of TTV and HGV infections with blood transfusion, and to assess the correlation between TTV and HGV viremia and hepatic damage., Methods: A total of 391 serum samples were examined in this study. Samples were obtained from healthy blood donors (n=110), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive donors (n=112), anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV)-positive donors (n=69), patients with type B chronic liver disease (n=81), and patients with type C chronic liver disease (n=19). TTV DNA was detected using the hemi-nested PCR. HGV RNA was tested using RT-PCR. A history of blood transfusion and serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were also determined., Results: TTV DNA was detected in 8.2 % of healthy blood donors, 16.1 % of HBsAg-positive donors, 20.3 % of anti-HCV-positive donors, 21.0 % of patients with type B chronic liver disease, and 21.1 % of patients with type C chronic liver disease. HGV RNA was detected in 1.8 % of healthy blood donors, 1.8 % of HBsAg-positive donors, 17.4 % of anti-HCV-positive donors, 13.6 % of patients with type B chronic liver disease, and 10.5 % of patients with type C chronic liver disease. The prevalence of TTV and HGV infections in HBV- or HCV-positive donors and patients was significantly higher than in healthy blood donors (P<0.05), except for the detection rate of HGV in HBsAg-positive donors which was the same as for healthy donors. There was a history of transfusion in 66.7 % of TTV DNA-positive patients and 76.9 % of HGV RNA-positive patients (P<0.05). No significant increase in serum ALT and AST was detected in the TTV- or HGV-positive donors and patients., Conclusion: TTV and HGV infections are more frequently found in donors and patients infected with HBV or HCV than in healthy blood donors. However, there is no significant association between TTV or HGV infections and liver injury.

A survey was conducted in a blood donor population of Central Brazil aiming to investigate the prevalence of GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection and also to analyze the virus genotypes distribution. A total of 241 voluntary blood donors were interviewed at the State Blood Bank in Goiânia, State of Goiás, Brazil. Blood samples were collected and serum samples tested for GBV-C/HGV RNA by polymerase chain reaction. Genotypes were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Seventeen samples were GBV-C/HGV RNA-positive, resulting in a prevalence of 7.1% (95% CI: 4.2-11.1). A significant trend of GBV-C/HGV RNA positivity in relation to age was observed, with the highest prevalence in donors between 29-39 years old. Ten infected individuals were characterized by reporting parenteral (30%), sexual (18%), both (6%) and intrafamiliar (6%) transmission. However, 7 (40%) GBV-C/HGV RNA-positive donors did not mention any potential transmission route. RFLP analysis revealed the presence of genotypes 1 and 2 of GBV-C/HGV; more precisely, 10 (58.9%) samples were found belonging to the 2b subtype, 4 (23.5%) to the 2a subtype, and 3 (17.6%) to genotype 1. The present data indicate an intermediate endemicity of GBV-C/HGV infection among this blood donor population, and a predominant circulation of genotype 2 (subtype 2b) in Central Brazil.