Clinical characteristics and antibody profiles of chronic hepatitis C patients: relation to hepatitis C virus genotypes.
Genotyping of 179 consecutive Japanese chronic hepatitis C patients was carried out based on the variation in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) core gene. The results were correlated with clinical features and antibody responses toward specific HCV proteins deduced from the nucleotide sequence of genotype I/1a. Genotypes II/1b, III/2a, and IV/2b were identified in 138 (77%), 24 (13%), and 12 (7%) patients, respectively. Five patients had double infections. Genotype dependence was observed only for antibody response toward the NS4 (5-1-1) protein, which was infrequent in genotype III/2a patients (33%) compared with genotype II/1b (81%; P < 0.01) and genotype IV/2b (75%; P < 0.05). Following interferon-alpha therapy, sustained amniotransferase normalisation was achieved by 89% (eight of nine) patients without antibody to the 5-1-1 protein and 33% (17 of 51) with it (P < 0.01). These findings indicate that absence of antibody response to the 5-1-1 protein is frequent in genotype III/2a HCV carriers and may serve to predict responses to interferon therapy.
Yuki
N
N
First Department of Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Hayashi
N
N
Mita
E
E
Hagiwara
H
H
Oshita
M
M
Ohkawa
K
K
Katayama
K
K
Kasahara
A
A
Fusamoto
H
H
Kamada
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D017931:DNA Primers; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase