https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7617-2816
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ABSTRACT
Human pegivirus (HPgV-1), previously known as GB virus C (GBV-C) or hepatitis G virus (HGV), is a single-stranded positive RNA virus belonging to the genus Pegivirus of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted by percutaneous injuries (PIs), contaminated blood and/or blood products, sexual contact, and vertical mother-to-child transmission. It is widely prevalent in general population, especially in high-risk groups. HPgV-1 viremia is typically cleared within the first 1–2 years of infection in most healthy individuals, but may persist for longer periods of time in immunocompromised individuals and/or those co-infected by other viruses. A large body of evidences indicate that HPgV-1 persistent infection has a beneficial clinical effect on many infectious diseases, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and hepatitis C. The beneficial effects seem to be related to a significant reduction of immune activation, and/or the inhabitation of co-infected viruses (e.g. HIV-1). HPgV-1 has a broad cellular tropism for lymphoid and myeloid cells, and preferentially replicates in bone marrow and spleen without cytopathic effect, implying a therapeutic potential. The paper aims to summarize the natural history, prevalence and distribution characteristics, and pathogenesis of HPgV-1, and discuss its association with other human viral diseases, and potential use in therapy as a biovaccine or viral vector.
Abbreviations
| AIDS | = | Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome |
| CCND3 | = | Cyclin D3 |
| CLL | = | Chronic lymphomatous leukemia |
| COVID-19 | = | Corona virus disease 2019 |
| CSWs | = | Commercial sex workers |
| DAAs | = | Direct-acting antivirals |
| DALYs | = | Disability-adjusted life years |
| EBOV | = | Ebola virus |
| EHF | = | Ebola hemorrhagic fever |
| GBV-A or -B or -C or -D | = | GB virus A or B or C or D |
| HAART | = | Highly active antiretroviral therapy |
| HCV | = | Hepatitis C virus |
| HGV | = | Hepatitis G virus |
| HIV-1 | = | Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 |
| HL | = | Hodgkin<apos;>s lymphoma |
| HPgV-1 | = | Human pegivirus type 1 |
| HPgV-2 | = | Human pegivirus type 2 or Human hepegivirus type 1 |
| HSC | = | Haematopoietic stem cell |
| IDUs | = | Intravenous drug users |
| IL2R-γ | = | Interleukin 2 receptor gamma |
| IRES | = | Internal ribosome entry site |
| MSM | = | Men who have sex with men |
| NHPs | = | Non-human primates |
| ORF | = | Open reading frame |
| PBMCs | = | Peripheral blood mononuclear cells |
| PIs | = | Percutaneous injuries |
| RdRp | = | RNA-dependent RNA polymerase |
| SARS-CoV-2 | = | Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 |
| SIV | = | Simian immunodeficiency virus |
| SLL | = | Small lymphocytic lymphoma |
| SPgV | = | Simian pegiviruses |
| TCR | = | T-cell receptor complex |
| Th1(or 2) | = | T-helper 1 (or 2) cytokines |
| UTRs | = | Untranslated regions |
| DC | = | Dendritic cell |
| NK cell | = | Natural killer cell |
Acknowledgments
We thank our colleague Yingying Ma for providing technical support on phylogenetic tree construction.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data Availability Statement
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.