Prevalence of production of virus-specific interferon-gamma among seronegative hepatitis C-resistant subjects reporting injection drug use.
This report describes subjects who were highly likely to have been repeatedly exposed to hepatitis C virus (HCV) through injection drug use and who remained negative for anti-HCV antibody. Production of virus-specific interferon- gamma by peripheral blood mononuclear cells was seen in the majority of subjects (72%) and was associated with higher-risk behavior. For 92% of the subjects, results of recombinant immunoblot assays demonstrated faint bands against nonstructural proteins. The immune responses described are likely to have been primed and maintained by episodes of subclinical infection without classic seroconversion and may indicate a hepatitis C-resistant phenotype. Vaccine strategies to mimic this response may provide protection against persistent HCV infection.
Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. freemanto@sesahs.nsw.gov.au
Anthony J
AJ
Freeman
Rosemary A
RA
Ffrench
Jeffrey J
JJ
Post
Charles E
CE
Harvey
Stuart J
SJ
Gilmour
Peter A
PA
White
George
G
Marinos
Ingrid
I
van Beek
William D
WD
Rawlinson
Andrew R
AR
Lloyd
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000276:immunology
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma