ANTI-GOR IN HEPATITIS-D - SPECIFIC ASSOCIATION WITH HEPATITIS-C VIRUSSUPERINFECTION

A group of 113 patients with chronic hepatitis D was investigated for the presence of anti-GOR and liver kidney microsomal antibodies. Eight patients were anti-GOR positive and also positive for hepatitis C vir us-infection. In sera from 16 patients liver-kidney microsomal antibod ies were detectable by immunofluorescence. They were classified as LKM -3 due to their fluorescence pattern. Two of the LKM-3-positive sera w ere also antihepatitis C virus and anti-human immunodeficiency virus p ositive. None of these patients were positive for anti-GOR. Fourteen s era from LKM-3-positive patients reacted in Western blot with a micros omal protein at 55 kDa that differs from the 50-kDa LKM-1 (cytochrome P450IID6) antigen. Our studies demonstrate that hepatitis D virus itse lf does not induce an autoimmune reaction against the GOR antigen and that autoimmunity to the LKM-3 antigen induced by hepatitis D virus in fection does not correlated with anti-GOR. These studies support the s pecificity of the anti-GOR response for hepatitis C virus infection.