K. Krawczynski et al., EFFECT OF IMMUNE GLOBULIN ON THE PREVENTION OF EXPERIMENTAL HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-INFECTION, The Journal of infectious diseases, 173(4), 1996, pp. 822-828
The efficacy of postexposure prophylaxis for the prevention of hepatit
is C virus (HCV) infection was studied in experimentally infected chim
panzees, Three chimpanzees were inoculated with HCV: Two were treated
1 h later with anti-HCV-negative intravenous immune globulin (IGIV) or
hepatitis C immune globulin (HCIG), and a third animal was not treate
d, HCV infection was detected in all 3 animals within a few days of in
oculation, Once passively transferred anti-HCV declined in the HCIG-tr
eated animal, there was an increase of HCV antigen (Ag)-positive hepat
ocytes followed by reappearance of anti-HCV; HCVAg disappeared concord
ant with the development of acute hepatitis, Acute hepatitis C develop
ed in both the IGIV-treated and untreated chimpanzees, with peak liver
enzyme activity on day 59, but was delayed in the HCIG-treated animal
until day 146, Postexposure HCIG treatment markedly prolonged the inc
ubation period of acute hepatitis C but did not prevent or delay HCV i
nfection, IGIV had no effect on the course of HCV infection.