Serial serum samples from 16 Italian patients presenting with acute he
patitis C virus (HCV) infections (which progressed to chronic hepatiti
s in six) were screened for the non-organ-specific autoantibodies most
frequently associated with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), as well as for
antibodies against the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) a
nd against the GOR peptide. One patient had low titres (1:10-1:80) of
liver-kidney microsomal (LKM-1) antibodies during the recovery phase a
nd three others had transient low titres of anti-smooth muscle (IgM cl
ass, 1:10) or anti-ASGP-R (1:150-1:300). Anti-GOR was detected in 43 (
65%) of 66 sera from 13 of these patients. There was no correlation be
tween any of these findings and progression to chronicity. By comparis
on, 18 patients with AIH studied concurrently before institution of im
munosuppressive therapy all had antinuclear and/or smooth muscle antib
odies, or LKM-1, at 1:40-1:640 and anti-ASGP-R at 1:300-1:2,100. None
of these 18 had evidence of HCV infection and all were seronegative fo
r anti-GOR. The findings indicate that the autoantibodies usually asso
ciated with AIH are rare in HCV infections but the virus can very occa
sionally induce a transient autoimmune response. Anti-GOR appears to b
e an antibody specifically related to HCV infection and is probably no
t a marker of induced autoimmunity, and it does not predict progressio
n to chronic hepatitis.