STRUCTURE OF REPLICATING HEPATITIS-C VIRUS (HCV) QUASI-SPECIES IN THELIVER MAY NOT BE REFLECTED BY ANALYSIS OF CIRCULATING HCV VIRIONS

We have analyzed the population of hepatitis C virus (HCV) sequences i n paired liver and serum samples from four patients with chronic hepat itis C, Sequences from three different biopsy specimens from a liver e xplant from one patient were compared with each other and with the cir culating sequences. Our results demonstrate that the circulating quasi species does not necessarily reflect the viral population replicating in the liver and that this is not due to a macroscopic anatomic compar tmentalization of HCV replication. This finding has important implicat ions for the pathogenesis and natural history of chronic HCV infection .