Clinical and epidemiological significance of pegivirus (virus hepatitis G) in patients with HIV infection and other infectious and non-infectious diseases

Purpose – to analyse current scientific data on Human pegivirus type 1 (HPgV-1) infection. The review examines virus structure, epidemiology, transmission routes, pathogenesis features, impact on various human diseases, modern diagnostic methods, and therapeutic approaches for HPgV infection. A search of scientific publications was conducted in PubMed, Elibrary, CyberLeninka, and Scopus using keywords «Human pegivirus», «HPgV», «GBV-C», «Hepatitis G virus» for 1990-November 2024. Inclusion criteria were original research articles, reviews, and meta-analyses on HPgV-1 in Russian and English. Article selection was two-staged: initial screening by titles and abstracts, then full-text analysis of articles meeting criteria.

HPgV-1 is a lymphotropic RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family, globally distributed with an overall infection prevalence of approximately 3,1%, varying regionally. Main transmission routes are parenteral, vertical, and sexual. Diagnostic methods are PCR and ELISA. No specific antiviral treatment is currently developed. A significant clinical aspect is HPgV-1’s modulating effect on HIV infection, slowing disease progression and increasing CD4+ lymphocyte counts. A possible association with increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and neuroinfections is discussed, but these data need further confirmation.

Conclusion: HPgV-1 infection is a significant public health and biomedical research problem due to its wide prevalence and potential impact on various diseases, especially HIV. The protective effect of HPgV-1 against HIV offers new perspectives for therapeutic strategies. Further in-depth studies are needed to understand HPgV-1 pathogenesis mechanisms and clinical role in various pathologies.

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