title: Interleukin-28B genetic variants in untreated Italian HCV-infected patients: a multicentre study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Different prevalence of favourable IL28BCC genotype have been reported in studies performed in different countries around the world. Data on distribution of IL28B genotypes in healthy Italian subjects are lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies on prospectively collected untreated chronic HCV-infected Italian patients led to conflicting results. To investigate the prevalence of IL28B genotypes in untreated HCV-infected patients and in subjects able to clear HCV, and to compare them to the prevalence registered in healthy Italian controls. To evaluate IL28B prevalence across different HCV genotypes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IL28BCC was observed in 30.9% of chronic HCV patients, in 71.0% of subjects able to clear HCV infection and in 41.6% of the Italian controls. The frequency of IL28BCC was higher in HCV genotype 2 and 3 than in 1 (38.3 vs. 28.2) (P = 0.02). Levels of ALT higher in IL28BCC than in non-CC were observed regardless of HCV genotypes (P = 0.0014).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IL28BCC frequencies progressively decline from subjects with spontaneous HCV clearance to normal non-infected subjects and to chronically infected. This study suggests that patients with IL28BCC, if genotype 1, are able to clear HCV more often than if genotype 2 and 3 infected, and that CC genotype is associated with higher grade of necro-inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Liver Unit, Hospital 'Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza', San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mottola
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cenderello
authors.forename: Valeria A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Piazzolla
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Forte
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Carretta
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mecenate
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brancaccio
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Minisini
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zuin
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Terreni
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Alberto Eraldo
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nosotti
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Minerva
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Luzzitelli
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kostandini
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cuccorese
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Russello
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mangia
mesh_terms: D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D005787:Gene Frequency; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons; D007378:Interleukins / Q000235:genetics*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D016017:Odds Ratio; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D015995:Prevalence; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D000095022:Interferon Lambda
chemical_list: D007372:Interferons; D007378:Interleukins; C000624353:interferon-lambda, human; D000095022:Interferon Lambda
keywords: genotype 1; hepatitis C; interleukin 28B; naive; related gene polymorphisms