title: Detection of hepatitis C viral sequences in non-A, non-B hepatitis.
abstract: The role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in post-transfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH) was investigated by analysing clinical samples for both HCV RNA by cDNA/polymerase chain reaction and antibodies against C100-3 by radioimmunoassay. Of fifteen chronic NANBH patients and one patient with chronic cryptogenic liver disease, ten were positive for anti-C100-3 and seven of the ten had viral sequences in their livers. However, two patients negative for anti-C100-3 also had substantial levels of HCV RNA in their livers. In acute post-transfusion NANBH (one surgical patient and two experimentally infected chimpanzees), HCV RNA was detected in the absence of anti-C100-3. In addition, infectious plasma from a seronegative patient with acute post-transfusion NANBH and a seronegative pool of plasma from a chimpanzee with chronic post-transfusion NANBH had high levels of HCV. These findings show that anti-C100-3-positive patients with chronic post-transfusion NANBH are likely to be viraemic; confirm that antibodies to C100-3 are a marker for infectivity; and suggest that the prevalence of HCV infections may be underestimated from the frequency of antibodies to C100-3 alone.
authors.affiliation: Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, California 94608.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Saracco
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosenblatt
authors.forename: Q L
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Choo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Houghton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001345:Autoradiography; D001483:Base Sequence; D015342:DNA Probes; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006518:Hepatitis Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; C064544:C100 protein, hepatitis C virus; D015342:DNA Probes; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins