Hepatitis C virus replication and antibodies to structural and nonstructural viral proteins in chronic hepatitis C.
The correlation between hepatitis C virus replication and antibodies to both structural (core) and nonstructural (C100-3) hepatitis C virus proteins (anti-HCVcore and anti-C100-3, respectively) was assessed. The concentration of serum hepatitis C virus RNA was determined by a competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay, and antibody titers were determined by endpoint dilution. No correlation was found between viremic levels and antibody titers in 42 chronic hepatitis C patients. At the end of a 6-month course of interferon-alpha therapy, 18 patients became negative for hepatitis C virus RNA. In the other 24 patients, post-treatment viremic levels ranged from 10(-6.5)-10(0.5) of pretreatment levels. Both anti-C100-3 and anti-HCVcore frequently decreased in patients whose viremic levels dropped to the negative range or to < 10(-2) of pretreatment levels. Anti-C100-3 decreased in all such cases (25/25), while anti-HCVcore decreased in 18/25 (72%) (p < 0.01), indicating that anti-C100-3 is more likely to decrease following suppression of viral replication than anti-HCVcore. These data suggest that hepatitis C virus antibodies may serve as a marker of suppression of viremia following interferon therapy even in patients who do not clear the virus.
Yuki
N
N
First Department of Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Hayashi
N
N
Hagiwara
H
H
Naito
M
M
Kasahara
A
A
Fusamoto
H
H
Kamada
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D001483:Base Sequence; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D014779:Virus Replication
D000956:Antigens, Viral; C064544:C100 protein, hepatitis C virus; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins