Quantitation of hepatitis C viral RNA in liver and serum samples using competitive polymerase chain reaction.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether the amount of hepatitis C viral RNA (HCV-RNA) in liver and serum can predict the effectiveness of interferon treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C.


METHODS
The amount of HCV-RNA in frozen liver tissues and sera of 22 patients with chronic hepatitis C was determined before and after interferon alfa treatment by the competitive reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction method.


RESULTS
Patients with small amounts of HCV-RNA in serum before treatment showed a significantly more effective response to interferon treatment. After treatment, HCV-RNA disappeared from both the liver and serum of all patients who sustained complete response (n = 11); in contrast, HCV-RNA decreased but persisted in the liver of all those who relapsed after cessation of treatment (n = 11).


CONCLUSIONS
The elimination of hepatitis C virus from the liver as well as from the serum seems to be essential for sustained remission. The quantitation of HCV-RNA in liver biopsy specimens obtained after treatment would be a highly accurate predictor of whether relapse is likely to occur.
D001483:Base Sequence; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral