title: Continuous release of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells and B-lymphoblastoid cell-line cultures derived from HCV-infected patients.
abstract: In order to investigate hepatitis C virus (HCV) persistence and replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from a group of haemophilic individuals, HCV production and release to PBMC culture supernatants (SNs) from HCV singly infected patients and HIV/HCV co-infected patients was studied. HCV RNA+ SNs were found more frequently from HIV/HCV co-infected individuals (89.5 %) with poor reconstitution of their immune status than from singly HCV-infected patients (57 %) or from HIV/HCV co-infected individuals with a good response to highly active anti-retroviral therapy (50 %). The presence of the HCV genome in culture SNs was associated with lower CD4+ T-cell counts and with a more severe clinical picture of HIV infection. In spite of prolonged negative HCV viraemia, PBMC from HIV/HCV co-infected patients released the HCV genome after culture. HCV permissive PBMC allowed generation of HCV productive B cell lines with continuous HCV replication. These findings add further weight to the involvement of PBMCs in persistence of HCV infection and emphasize the role of B lymphocytes as HCV reservoirs.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas "Mariano R Castex", Academia Nacional de Medicina, Pacheco de Melo 3081, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baré
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas "Mariano R Castex", Academia Nacional de Medicina, Pacheco de Melo 3081, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Massud
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas "Mariano R Castex", Academia Nacional de Medicina, Pacheco de Melo 3081, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Parodi
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas "Mariano R Castex", Academia Nacional de Medicina, Pacheco de Melo 3081, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Belmonte
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Virología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas "Mariano R Castex", Academia Nacional de Medicina, Pacheco de Melo 3081, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
authors.forename: Marcelo Campos
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Nebel
authors.affiliation: Fundación Argentina de la Haemofilia, Soler 3485, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corti
authors.affiliation: Fundación Argentina de la Haemofilia, Soler 3485, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.|Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas "Mariano R Castex", Academia Nacional de Medicina, Pacheco de Melo 3081, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
authors.forename: Miguel Tezanos
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Fundación Argentina de la Haemofilia, Soler 3485, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.|Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas "Mariano R Castex", Academia Nacional de Medicina, Pacheco de Melo 3081, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
authors.forename: Raúl Pérez
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas "Mariano R Castex", Academia Nacional de Medicina, Pacheco de Melo 3081, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
authors.forename: María M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bracco
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Virología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas "Mariano R Castex", Academia Nacional de Medicina, Pacheco de Melo 3081, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
authors.forename: Beatriz Ruibal
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Ares
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor / Q000821:virology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral