title: Isolate antibody to hepatitis C virus core antigen (C22) by RIBA-2: correlation with HCV-RNA and anti-NS5.
abstract: The presence of circulating hepatitis C virus genome (HCV-RNA), elevated ALT levels and antibodies to an NS5-derived synthetic peptide have been examined in 13 subjects with isolate positivity for antibodies to the HCV core antigen (C22) on RIBA-2 testing. All subjects were followed up for 8-18 months (mean 12.4 months). In seven subjects (54%), intermittent or persistent viremia was associated with abnormal ALT levels (6 subjects) and with positivity for antibodies to NS5-peptide (6 subjects). On the other hand, in 6 out of 13 subjects (46%) no viral replication, no liver cytonecrosis and no antibodies to NS5 were found. It is concluded that isolate reactivity to C22 by RIBA-2 is a heterogeneous condition that corresponds to two distinct categories of subjects: those with active HCV infection and those without evidence of virus replication. Although HCV-RNA determination is the most reliable means of identifying HCV carriers, antibodies to NS5 can be a useful marker of virus activity. In fact, antibodies to NS5 were detected in 6 out of 7 viremic patients, compared to 0 out of 6 non-viremic patients (P = 0.004). It remains to be elucidated whether the isolate reactivity to core antigen found in non-viremic subjects represents a specific, HCV-induced antibody response, or is an unrelated crossreactivity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Disease, La Sapienza University, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Taliani
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Badolato
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lecce
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bruni
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Clementi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grimaldi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Furlan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manganaro
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Duca
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bozza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology; D014766:Viremia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C499352:core protein p22, Hepatitis C virus; C069130:nucleocapsid protein, Hepatitis C virus; D000410:Alanine Transaminase