Specific immunoglobulin against HCV: new perspectives.
Evidence has suggested that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) does not elicit neutralizing antibodies, and hence that the presence of anti-HCV antibodies is only a marker of infection. Subsequently, HCV neutralizing antibodies have been identified and methods for their detection were devised. HCV neutralizing antibodies are present in anti-HCV-positive blood units but there is no correlation between the anti-HCV antibody titer and the HCV neutralizing antibody titer. There are two patented methods for the production of polyclonal HCV immunoglobulin: (i) from anti-HCV-positive blood units containing high titers of anti-HCV antibodies (EP-00447984); and (ii) from a large number of anti-HCV-positive blood units that contain high titers of HCV-neutralizing antibodies against the different HCV strains (US-06372216 and EP-00896545). Several monoclonal antibodies have been patented for clinical use in HCV-infected patients; however, only one has undergone a clinical trial. This review examines the use of specific immunoglobulin against HCV, which, similarly to specific immunoglobulin against hepatitis B virus, contains high titers of antibodies that neutralize the different HCV strains, and could thus be efficacious in the same settings (e.g., re-infection of transplanted liver, post-exposure prophylaxis, sexual transmission and patients undergoing hemodialysis).
Borgia
Guglielmo
G
Department of Public Medicine and Social Security, Institute for Infectious Diseases-Ed 18, University of Naples Federico II, via Pansini 5, I-80131, Naples, Italy. borgia@unina.it
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007167:Immunotherapy; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins