Serial quantitative analysis of serum hepatitis C virus RNA level in patients with acute and chronic hepatitis C.
To examine changes in the serum level of hepatitis C virus RNA in acute and chronic phases of hepatitis C virus infection, we tested serial serum samples of six patients with acute hepatitis C (posttransfusion: three; sporadic: three) and 11 patients with chronic hepatitis C using a competitive reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction assay. The internal standard consisted of known amounts of synthetic mutated RNA. No patient with acute hepatitis showed resolution during the follow-up period (24-57 weeks). In posttransfusion cases, titers of hepatitis C virus RNA (log10[hepatitis C virus RNA copies/ml serum]) rose to a high level (7.5-9.5) in the early phase of infection (4-12 weeks after the transfusions) in association with the first serum alanine aminotransferase peaks. Titers of hepatitis C virus RNA then decreased, while serum alanine aminotransferase levels fluctuated with multiple peaks. In sporadic cases, titers of hepatitis C virus RNA had already reached a high level (7.0-7.5) at the first alanine aminotransferase peaks 2-3 weeks after the clinical onset. In chronic hepatitis C virus infection, titers of hepatitis C virus RNA remained high for follow-up periods of 6-12 years in patients with chronic active hepatitis. These results indicate that the replication of hepatitis C virus rose to a high level in the early phase of infection and that a high replicative level of hepatitis C virus might be related with progression of liver disease in the chronic phase of infection.
Naito
M
M
First Department of Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan.
Hayashi
N
N
Hagiwara
H
H
Katayama
K
K
Kasahara
A
A
Fusamoto
H
H
Kato
M
M
Masuzawa
M
M
Kamada
T
T
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*
D012367:RNA, Viral; D000410:Alanine Transaminase