Hepatitis F virus explained

Hepatitis F is a hypothetical virus linked to viral hepatitis. Several hepatitis F candidates emerged in the 1990s; however, none of these claims were substantiated.^{[1] [2] [3]}

In 1994, Deka et al. reported that novel viral particles had been discovered in the stool of post-transfusion, non-hepatitis A, non-hepatitis B, non-hepatitis C, non-hepatitis E patients.^[4] Injection of these particles into the bloodstream of Indian rhesus monkeys caused hepatitis, and the virus was named hepatitis F or Toga virus. Further investigations failed to confirm the existence of the virus, and it was delisted as a cause for infectious hepatitis.^[5]

A subsequently-discovered virus thought to cause hepatitis was named Hepatitis G, though its role in hepatitis has not been confirmed and it is now considered synonymous with GB virus C. It is an "orphan virus" with no causal links to any human disease.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Uchida, T. . Genetic Variations of the Hepatitis B Virus and Their Clinical Relevance . Microbiol. Immunol. . 1993 . 425–39 . 37 . 6 . 7694049 . 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1993.tb03233.x. free .
2. Fagan, E. A. . Acute Liver Failure of Unknown Pathogenesis: The Hidden Agenda . Hepatology . 1994 . 1307–12 . 19 . 5 . 8175156 . 10.1002/hep.1840190532. 267133 .
3. Bowden, S. . New Hepatitis Viruses: Contenders and Pretenders . J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. . 2001 . 124–31 . 16 . 2 . 11207890 . 10.1046/j.1440-1746.2001.02405.x. free .
4. Deka N, Sharma MD, Mukerjee R . Isolation of the novel agent from human stool samples that is associated with sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis . J. Virol. . 1994 . 7810–5 . 68 . 12 . 10.1128/JVI.68.12.7810-7815.1994 . 7966570 . 237242.
5. Kelly, D. . Skidmore, S. . Hepatitis C-Z: recent advances . Arch. Dis. Child. . 2002 . 339–43 . 86 . 5 . 11970925 . 10.1136/adc.86.5.339 . 1751087.
6. Lefrère J. J. . Laperche, S. . Roudot-Thoraval, F. . Hepatitis G Virus: A Suitable Marker of in vivo Efficacy for Pathogen Inactivation . Vox Sang . 95. 1. 76–8. April 2008 . 18393946 . 10.1111/j.1423-0410.2008.01050.x . 10193248 .