title: Spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus after liver transplantation in two patients coinfected with hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus.
abstract: Spontaneous resolution of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is exceedingly rare and poorly understood. As HCV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have shared routes of transmission, HCV coinfection is estimated to affect 15%-30% of the HIV-positive population. We report 2 patients with HCV-HIV coinfection who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation at our center and had spontaneous clearance of their chronic HCV infection after transplantation without any anti-HCV treatment. Both patients showed no evidence of HCV recurrence for more than 3 years despite long-term immunosuppressant therapy. Spontaneous clearance of chronic HCV infection can occur in HIV-HCV-coinfected patients after liver transplantation. The mechanism of this phenomenon remains unclear.
authors.affiliation: Center for Liver Diseases, Division of Hepatology, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bhagat
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Foont
authors.forename: Eugene R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Schiff
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Regev
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006678:HIV / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012008:Recurrence; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral