title: Longitudinal evaluation of hepatitis C viral persistence in HIV-infected patients with spontaneous hepatitis C clearance.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) viral persistence in patients with spontaneous viral clearance is controversial. Several studies have shown HCV-RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and/or liver tissue among patients who have cleared the virus spontaneously, suggesting that viral persistence is a common situation that could involve the entire population studied. Thus, our aim was to evaluate HCV-RNA persistence in PBMCs and hepatocytes in subjects infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A total of 1508 patients were prospectively followed and tested for anti-HCV antibodies and HCV-RNA to identify the patients who achieved spontaneous viral clearance. In all of the patients, the persistence of HCV-RNA in PBMCs was evaluated longitudinally during 2 years of follow-up. Fifty-nine patients fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were included in the study. HCV-RNA was not detected in the PBMCs at baseline [59 PBMCs samples tested; 0 %; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0-3.3 %] or during the follow-up (147 PBMCs samples tested; 0 %; 95 % CI: 0-2.02 %). Our study shows that HCV viral persistence is not a frequent occurrence in HIV-infected patients who have spontaneously resolved an HCV infection. Thus, the lack of serum HCV-RNA should continue to be addressed as the standard of healing.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Instituto Maimonides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba, Avd. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rivero-Juarez
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetics Unit, Department of Experimental Biology, University of Jaen, Jaen, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caruz
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario de Valme, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Real
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Instituto Maimonides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba, Avd. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martinez-Dueñas
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetics Unit, Department of Experimental Biology, University of Jaen, Jaen, Spain.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Marquez
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Instituto Maimonides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba, Avd. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frias
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario de Valme, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Recio
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Instituto Maimonides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba, Avd. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario de Valme, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pineda
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Instituto Maimonides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba, Avd. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain. ariveror@gmail.com.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rivero
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Instituto Maimonides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba, Avd. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Camacho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D044967:Serum / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral