title: The Presence of Autoantibodies to Cytoplasmic Rod and Ring Particles in the Serum of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with extra hepatic autoimmune disorders, while peg-IFNa-2a/RBV combination therapy may exacerbate these conditions. Autoantibodies to cytoplasmic structures, called rod and ring particles (RR), have strong associations with these patients and are identified by HEp-2 cells.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our purpose was to study the correlation of autoantibodies to cytoplasmic rod and ring particles in the serum of patients with chronic HCV infection with their response to standard therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples were gathered from 120 patients with HCV infection (40 naive treatments, 40 with sustained virological response (SVR), and 40 with relapse response) during peg-IFNa-2a/RBV combination therapy and analyzed for the presence of RR antibodies by IIF on commercially available HEp-2 cell substrate slides from Euroimmun (Lu beck, Germany).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anti-rod and ring (anti-RR) autoantibodies were detected in only the serum of 1 out of 120 patients (0.8%), which belonged to a patient (out of 40) with relapse response (2.5%). No correlation was found between the types of response to peg-IFNa-2a/RBV combination therapy and the presence of anti-RR autoantibodies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The only HCV patient with RR autoantibodies previously had received IFN/ribavirin antiviral therapy. The presence of these autoantibodies is extremely rare in Iranian HCV patients. Further studies are warranted to determine the role of genetic background and geographical pattern in the prevalence of these novel autoantibodies worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Afsharzadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran; HIV Laboratory of National Center, Deputy of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bokharaei-Salim
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esghaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Hamidreza
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Monavari
authors.affiliation: Liver and Pancreatobiliary Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Shahin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merat
authors.affiliation: Liver and Pancreatobiliary Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Poustchi
authors.affiliation: Liver and Pancreatobiliary Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran; Department of Community Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Arghavan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haj-Sheykholeslami
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Keyvani
keywords: Autoantibodies; Hepatitis C Virus; Rod and Ring Particles