title: The significance of immunoglobulin M antibody response to hepatitis C virus core protein in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: The significance of immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibody to hepatitis C virus core protein (IgM anti-HCV core) was studied in 41 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection diagnosed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). IgM anti-HCVcore was tested with a solid-phase enzyme-linked immunoassay. The results were correlated with clinical features, liver histology findings evaluated by the histological activity index, and virological features such as genotypes and viremic levels assessed by a branched DNA assay. IgM anti-HCVcore was found in 29 (71%) patients, and its occurrence was only related to viremic levels. A significant relationship was observed between viremic levels and IgM anti-HCVcore cut-off index (rs = .42, P < .01). Of the eight low viremic (branched DNA-negative) patients, only two (25%) tested positive for IgM anti-HCVcore with a low cut-off index of < 3, whereas 27 (82%) of the 33 highly viremic (branched DNA-positive) patients had IgM anti-HCVcore (P < .01). After a 28-week interferon-alpha course (IFN-alpha), sustained aminotransferase normalization after therapy withdrawal was achieved by only two (13%) of the 16 patients with IgM anti-HCVcore cut-off index > 3 compared with 11 (44%) of the 25 patients with that < 3 (P < .05). IgM anti-HCVcore cut-off index decreased after therapy in patients who cleared the virus in sera but increased again after reappearance of viremia. These findings suggest that IgM anti-HCVcore may serve as a simple serological indicator of active virus replication and have relevance to the outcome of antiviral therapy.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yuki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohkawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hagiwara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oshita
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katayama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fusamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase