Hepatitis C virus antibody and hepatitis C virus replication in chronic hepatitis B patients.
We assessed hepatitis C virus infection in 156 chronic hepatitis B patients using second-generation hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV). Active virus replication was further investigated in anti-HCV-positive cases by means of polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of serum hepatitis C virus RNA. Anti-HCV prevalence was higher in patients negative for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) (10/48, 21%) than in HBeAg-positive patients (10/108, 9%) (p < 0.05), and the reactivity (cut-off index) in anti-HCV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of the positive cases was significantly higher in HBeAg-negative patients (4.1 +/- 0.1) than in -positive ones (3.6 +/- 0.6) (p < 0.05). The prevalence of hepatitis C virus RNA in anti-HCV-positive cases was also higher in the HBeAg-negative group (9/10, 90%) than in the -positive group (3/10, 30%) (p < 0.01). Viremia was found in association with high reactivity in anti-HCV ELISA (cut-off index > 3.5) in both groups. Nine (90%) of 10 such cases were viremic in the HBeAg-negative group compared with three (43%) of seven in the HBeAg-positive group (p < 0.05). These results suggest that hepatitis C virus replication may be influenced by hepatitis B virus replicative states, indicating possible interference between hepatitis B and C viruses.
Ohkawa
K
K
First Department of Medicine, Osaka University School of Medicine, Japan.
Hayashi
N
N
Yuki
N
N
Hagiwara
H
H
Kato
M
M
Yamamoto
K
K
Eguchi
H
H
Fusamoto
H
H
Masuzawa
M
M
Kamada
T
T
D000328:Adult; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000821:virology*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral