Hepatitis G virus was recently identified as a new member of the Flaviviridae. The clinical significance of HGV infection is still unclear. The only tool for the diagnosis of HGV infection is based on the detection of viral genome by RT-PCR, a technique not applicable for mass screening in a clinical laboratory. In order to ascertain the prevalence of HGV infection in blood donors, molecular diagnostic assays have been employed and sequences within 5'NC and NS3 regions were amplified. In a panel of blood donors, 22/224 (9.8%) samples were found to be HGV-RNA positive, suggesting that donated blood may need to be screened for HGV. The percentage of positivity reported as preliminary report is higher then elsewhere found. Further studies to determine the HGV prevalence in blood donors population of Friuli remain to be done, to elucidate the epidemiological impact and the medical- legal consequences of this new infection.
