IgM antibody to a hepatitis C virus core peptide (CP14) for monitoring activity of liver disease in patients with acute or chronic hepatitis C.
Antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) core of various immunoglobulin classes were determined by enzyme immunoassays with three synthetic peptides, CP14 (amino acids 5-40 of the core protein), CP10 (5-23), and CP9 (39-74). In 135 patients with chronic type C liver disease, anti-CP14, anti-CP10, and anti-CP9 of IgG class were detected in 99%, 94%, 82%, respectively; those of IgM class in 86%, 69%, and 39%; and those of IgA class in 56%, 40%, and 4%. Thus anti-CP14 was more prevalent than anti-CP10 or anti-CP9 in every immunoglobulin class. The prevalence of IgM anti-CP14 was much higher (P < 0.001) in patients (116/135 or 86%) than in asymptomatic carriers of HCV (13/39 or 33%). In seven patients with acute hepatitis C, IgM anti-CP14 continued to decrease in two in whom hepatitis resolved, but increased in five in whom hepatitis once resolved and then exacerbated. IgM anti-CP14 was followed in 30 patients with chronic hepatitis C during 24 weeks while they received recombinant interferon alpha-2a. IgM anti-CP14 decreased remarkably within 8 weeks in all of them. Thereafter, it continued to decrease in nine patients who responded to interferon and lost HCV RNA from circulation, but started to increase in five non-responders who continued to have high titers of HCV RNA. In the remaining 16 patients in whom HCV RNA decreased once and then increased, IgM anti-CP14 continued to decrease till 20 weeks and then increased.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Nagayama
R
R
First Department of Internal Medicine, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tochigi-Ken, Japan.
Miyake
K
K
Tsuda
F
F
Okamoto
H
H
D000208:Acute Disease; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D002353:Carrier State / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015166:Monitoring, Immunologic; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C069130:nucleocapsid protein, Hepatitis C virus