Virologist Bernard Roizman of the University of Chicago calls the discovery of the hepatitis G viruses "very important." Researchers may use such knowledge to prevent hepatitis or ward off the harsh consequences of the disease.
(The hepatitis A virus typically isn't transmitted through exposure to infected blood.) They do not yet have a way to screen for hepatitis G and the other newly discovered viruses, points out another Science coauthor, Harvey Alter of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.