Virus extends life in some HIV men

U.S. scientists have found an apparently harmless virus is associated with longer life for HIV-positive men, but only when it infects them for many years.

U.S. scientists have found an apparently harmless virus is associated with longer life for HIV-positive men, but only when it infects them for many years. The study, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases found men infected with both HIV and the GB virus type C, previously known as hepatitis G, for at least five years were three times less likely to die than HIV-positive men who did not have GBV-C. GBV-C, a virus that infects white blood cells, does not cause any known disease. It is transmitted through blood and blood products, and many people carry the virus, some for up to 40 years. Earlier studies have reported improved survival for HIV-positive patients co-infected with GBV-C, but the idea has been controversial. While some investigators found a survival advantage for HIV-positive men with GBV-C infection, others did not. This new study is the first to take into account the duration of GBV-C infection. The research appears in the March 4 issue of “The New England Journal of Medicine.”