Isolated anti-HBV core phenotype in anti-HCV-positive patients is associated with hepatitis C virus replication.
Recovery from hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with the presence of antibodies against HBV surface (HBs) antigen and HBV core (HBc) antigen. However, anti-HBs antibodies are lost in many cases, and only anti-HBc antibodies persist. A higher frequency of the anti-HBc-alone pattern has been demonstrated for anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive patients. In this report, 1126 anti-HCV-positive/anti-HBc-positive patients were studied, and the role of HCV replication in influencing the presence or absence of anti-HBs antibodies was investigated. The anti-HBc-alone phenotype was significantly more frequent in HCV-viraemic than in HCV-recovered patients. This finding represents new information regarding the immunopathogenesis of chronic HCV infection and supports previous data indicating impaired humoral immune responses in HCV infection.
Wedemeyer
H
H
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, 30623 Hannover, Germany. Wedemeyer.Heiner@mh-hannover.de
Cornberg
M
M
Tegtmeyer
B
B
Frank
H
H
Tillmann
H L
HL
Manns
M P
MP
D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D014779:Virus Replication
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies