Immunotherapy of chronic active viral hepatitis B with propionibacterium granulosum KP-45 (a 5-year follow-up report).
In the period 1982 to 1984, 14 HBS-AG-positive patients with chronic active hepatitis B were treated monthly with a cell wall preparation (5 or 10 mg) of Propionibacterium granulosum KP-45 (PG), intravenously administered for a period of 6 to 10 months. All 14 patients were monitored by serological and biochemical tests as well as liver biopsy two, three and five years after completing immunotherapy with PG. During this period the patients received neither a specific antiviral, corticosteroid or interferon therapy, nor PG. Re-appearance of HBSAG or HBeAG was never seen in patients who were already free from the antigens one year after completing PG immunotherapy. During the 5-year follow-up, spontaneous improvement in serological and morphological (liver biopsy) parameters of chronic virus B hepatitis occurred in six patients. Five years after completion of PG immunotherapy, only four of the 14 patients showed trace amounts of serum HBSAG (carriers), and in two low levels of anti-HBeAG were present, while the whole group showed a decreasing tendency and serum anti-HBc was still detectable in six patients. HBeAG- and DNA-polymerase-positivity was absent in all patients. Microscopic examination of liver biopsies 5 years after PG immunotherapy showed mild symptoms of chronic hepatitis with inflammatory infiltration, non-active cirrhosis, but without massive periportal and/or multilobular necrosis and trace amounts of HBsAG and HBcAG in hepatocytes only in the four carriers. The remaining 10 patients were free of symptoms of active hepatitis and/or active cirrhosis, but all the patients had moderate to intensive fibrosis in their liver biopsies.
Gil
J
J
Postgraduate Medical School, Warsaw, Poland.
Szmigielski
S
S
Jeljaszewicz
J
J
Pulverer
G
G
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016233:Immunotherapy, Active; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D011424:Propionibacterium
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens