title: Lack of monomeric IgM anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antibodies in patients with chronic HCV infection.
abstract: Antibodies of the IgM class against the hepatitis C virus core antigen are found in up to 70% of patients with either acute or chronic hepatitis C. The sedimentation rate of such IgM was analyzed by rate-zonal centrifugation of nine sera taken from seven patients, two acutely and five persistently infected with hepatitis C virus. All patients had circulating high-molecular weight (i.e. pentameric) IgM, indicating that the production of low molecular weight IgM, commonly observed in other persistent viral infections, does not apply to hepatitis C virus and cannot be used to distinguish acute from chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hôpital Cantonal Universitaire, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Negro
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Troonen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giostra
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perrin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hadengue
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C069130:nucleocapsid protein, Hepatitis C virus