title: Hepatitis C virus reinfection in allografts after orthotopic liver transplantation.
abstract: From September 1988 to May 1991, 160 orthotopic liver transplantations were performed in our hospital. Twenty-four patients had end-stage cirrhosis caused by chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis. Antibodies against hepatitis C virus were documented before and after orthotopic liver transplantation in 13 patients. Studies using the polymerase chain reaction demonstrated hepatitis C virus RNA in the serum and liver tissue of 17 patients (10 of whom tested positive for hepatitis C virus antibodies) before orthotopic liver transplantation. Tissue samples taken from liver grafts during the operation were hepatitis C virus RNA negative in every case. Ten of these 17 patients had positive hepatitis C virus RNA findings in serum and liver biopsy specimens within the first month after surgery. One patient died of Mucor sepsis 2 mo after orthotopic liver transplantation. Another patient died of multi-organ failure 3 mo after a retransplantation. Two patients underwent retransplantation for graft rejection at 2 and 3 mo, respectively. One year after orthotopic liver transplantation, hepatitis C virus RNA was demonstrated in allograft biopsy specimens in 13 of 15 patients. Two patients remained hepatitis C virus RNA negative in repeated biopsies up to 12 mo. Mild portal and lobular hepatitis developed within 6 months of orthotopic liver transplantation in four patients and within 1 yr in five additional patients. The data suggest that persistent hepatitis C virus reinfects the allograft in most cases, but the risk of acute organ damage caused by hepatitis C virus reinfection is low.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Universitätsklinikum Rudolf Virchow-Charlottenburg, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: König
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bauditz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lobeck
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lüsebrink
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neuhaus
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blumhardt
authors.forename: W O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Bechstein
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Neuhaus
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Steffen
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hopf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral