HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-RNA IN THE BONE-MARROW OF PATIENTS WITH MIXED CRYOGLOBULINEMIA AND IN SUBJECTS WITH NONCRYOGLOBULINEMIC CHRONIC HEPATITISTYPE-C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with most mixed cryogl obulinemia (MC) syndromes. In this study, HCV RNA was detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 11 (73.3%) of 15 patients with M C and in 5 (71.4%) of 7 noncryoglobulinemic patients with chronic hepa titis type C. All patients with cryoglobulinemia and 3 (42.8%) of the 7 without cryoglobulinemia (P < .05) had HCV RNA in bone marrow cells. Subjects in both groups with HCV-positive bone marrow also had HCV RN A in serum. The majority of patients with MC syndromes were infected w ith HCV subtypes 1b and 2a. Two patients with MC had different genotyp es in serum and cells. Further studies are needed to determine which b one marrow cell population is preferentially infected by HCV and to de termine if this phenomenon is involved in inducing the production of c ryoglobulins.