title: Follow-up study of hypervariable region sequences of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome in an infant with delayed anti-HCV antibody responses.
abstract: An infant born prematurely and infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) one month after birth was followed for 4.5 years. The patient did not produce detectable anti-HCV antibodies until two years after the onset of hepatitis. Before seroconversion, a single clone of HCV, as determined by quasispecies of the hypervariable region (HVR) of the HCV genome, was almost exclusively found in the serum. After seroconversion, however, another distinct lineage of HCV clones replaced it within half a year. As HCV infection persisted further in the presence of anti-HCV antibodies, many derivatives of both sequence lineages emerged to exhibit the typical quasispecies feature of HVR sequences. Neither seroconversion nor the changes in HVR sequences influenced the serum aminotransferase titers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katayama
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tajiri
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishido
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hotta
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001483:Base Sequence; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014766:Viremia / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase