HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-SPECIFIC B-CELL ACTIVATION - IGG AND IGM DETECTION IN ACUTE AND CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C

Background/Aims/Methods: Immunological responses to hepatitis C virus infection have not been fully studied. In an attempt to clarify some i mmunopathogenetic aspects of B cell activation during acute and chroni c hepatitis C virus infection and to identify markers of chronicity or of recovery, the humoral response in hepatitis C virus-infected patie nts was studied. Results: In children with acute jaundice, with negati ve markers of acute hepatitis A, B and E, six of 87 (6,9%) had detecta ble anti-HCV IgM, and only one (1.1%) had detectable anti-HCV IgG. In adults with acute jaundice, with negative markers of acute hepatitis A , B and E, ten of 23 (43.5%) had detectable anti-HCV IgM associated in eight patients with detectable anti-HCV IgG. In chronic hepatitis C v irus-infected adult patients, all anti-HCV IgG seropositive, four of 1 4 (28%) patients had detectable HCV-IgM in serum. In vitro specific an tibody production was inducible in a minority of patients. In acute an d chronic hepatitis C virus-infection, IgM-HCV serology did not correl ate with viremia as detected by polymerase chain reaction. Conclusions : Therefore, the polymerase chain reaction remains at the moment the o nly direct marker to demonstrate hepatitis C virus viral replication i n patients with acute and chronic hepatitis while anti-HCV IgM analysi s alone has only a limited diagnostic value in hepatitis C virus-infec tion.