PATIENTS INFECTED WITH THE SAME HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-STRAIN DISPLAY DIFFERENT KINETICS OF THE ISOLATE-SPECIFIC ANTIBODY-RESPONSE

The antibody response to the hypervariable region of the E2 protein (H VR1) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) was studied in 5 patients who were inf ected by a common virus strain during an outbreak in a hemodialysis un it. Two patients resolved the infection, while 3 developed chronic HCV infection. For studying the antibody response to HVR1 during the earl y phase of infection, a Western blot assay using recombinant phage dis playing HVR1 was developed. The 2 patients with resolving infection ha d a more rapid antibody response to HVR1 than did the patients develop ing chronic infection. Anti-HVR1 antibodies were repeatedly absent in 1 of the chronically infected patients. Antibodies to recombinant E2 p rotein occurred later than the anti-HVR1 antibodies and did not correl ate with resolution of the infection. Thus, the present results sugges t that early appearance of antibodies to the HVR1 may predict clearanc e of HCV infection.