Lack of monomeric IgM anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antibodies in patients with chronic HCV infection.
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.
Negro
F
F
Division of Gastroenterology, Hôpital Cantonal Universitaire, Geneva, Switzerland.
Troonen
H
H
Michel
G
G
Giostra
E
E
Albrecht
M
M
Perrin
L
L
Hadengue
A
A
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*
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C069130:nucleocapsid protein, Hepatitis C virus