Serum hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA and response to alpha-interferon in anti-HCV positive chronic hepatitis.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication was assessed before and during alpha-interferon (IFN) treatment in 22 anti-HCV positive patients with posttransfusion or sporadic chronic hepatitis (CH). Eleven patients were "responders" and 11 patients "non-responders" to IFN. Thirteen anti-HCV negative healthy subjects and five anti-HCV negative patients with autoimmune CH served as controls. Serum HCV-RNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in all untreated anti-HCV positive patients but in none of the anti-HCV negative subjects. PCR primers from the 5'-noncoding (NC) region were more sensitive than primers from a non-structural (NS5) region in detecting HCV-RNA (21/22, 95% vs. 7/22, 32%, respectively). Positive strand HCV-RNA titre and positivity rate for the negative strand were similar in responders and non-responders before IFN treatment, as well as anti-c100-3 titre by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and anti-5-1-1, anti-c33c, anti-c22 positivity rate by immunoblot assay (RIBA). HCV-RNA positivity by both NC and NS primers was more frequent before IFN among responders. During IFN treatment, serum HCV-RNA was detectable, mostly at low titres, in 1 (NC positive) of the 11 responders and in 9 (4 NS positive and 5 NC positive) of the 11 non-responders. Among the four non-responders who were NS positive during IFN, three were NC positive before IFN. Serum HCV-RNA was always found in our post-transfusion or sporadic anti-HCV positive patients with CH. Viraemia generally decreased during IFN treatment, but no available HCV markers clearly distinguished responders from non-responders before IFN treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Magrin
S
S
Divisione di Medicina Interna, Ospedale V. Cervello, Palermo, Italy.
Craxì
A
A
Fabiano
C
C
Fiorentino
G
G
Marino
L
L
Almasio
P
P
Pinzello
G B
GB
Palazzo
U
U
Vitale
M
M
Maggio
A
A
D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014766:Viremia / Q000382:microbiology; D014779:Virus Replication
D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins