摘要AIM To investigate the infection of hepatitis G virus (HGV) in 105 cases of drug abusers.MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and five heroin addicts including 85 males and 20 females,aged from 17a to 45a old, mean age 26.3a±5.8a were observed. Duration of the drug abusing was rangedfrom 5 mo to 168 mo with mean 37.5 mo±23.6 mo. Seventy-five cases accepted the drug by intravenousinjection only, 30 others by both intravenous and scalded inhaling ways. All cases had no history of bloodtransfusion. ① Detection of HGV-RNA: total RNA was extracted from serum by the acid quanidinum thiocyanate-phenol-ethanol method, the 5'terminal non-coded region of HGV-RNA was amplified by nested reversetranscription-PCR, ② anti-HAV-IgM, HBsAg, anti-HCV, HDAg, anti-HD, anti-HD-IgM and anti-HEVwere detected by ELISA. Reagents were provided by Shenzhen Moon Bay Biologic Company. ③ Hepaticfunctions were determined by Hitachi 7510 automatic analyzer.RESULTS (① Incidence of HGV infection: 25(23.8%) of 105 drug abusers, 21 men and 4 women,wereinfected with HGV. The mean drug taking time of HGV infected cases were 38.6 mo±19.9 mo, it is similarwith the mean duration of drug abusing, 37.7 mo±24.6 mo (P>0.05), of those cases without HGVinfection. ② Superinfection of HGV with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV): 26 (24.7%)of 105 addicts were infected with HBV and 68 (64.8%) with HCV. Among 25 cases infected with HGV, 8(32%) of them were infected with HGV alone, 6(24.0%) were superinfected with HCV, 2(8.0%) withHBVand 9(36.0%) with HCV and HBV. Thus, 17(68.0%) of 25 cases infected with HGV weresuperinfected with HCV and/or HBV. ③ Hepatic function tests: The total serum bilirubin levels of all 105cases were less than 20 umol/L. The ALT levels of 30(28.6%) cases were more than 40 U/L and amongthem, 1 case was infected with HGV only, 1 was superinfected with HGV and HBV, 3 with HGV and HCV,7 with HGV, HBV and HCV respectively. Meanwhile also among the cases with abnormal increased ALTlevel, 1 case infected with HBV, 15 with HCV, 2 superinfected with HBV and HCV.CONCLUSION The results of this investigation neveal that in drug abusers the incrdence of viral hepatitis isin the order of HCV, HBV and HGV.