Anti-HIV mutation poses hepatitis risk

A genetic mutation that protects people from AIDS might also make them susceptible to hepatitis C, a new study finds. The mutation, designated as delta-32 in a gene called CCR5, occurs in 1 percent of whites. The mutation helps people resist infections by human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS.

Researchers in Germany compared three groups: 153 hepatitis C patients, 102 HIV-positive patients, and 130 people who had both infections.