HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-REPLICATION AND ANTIBODIES TO STRUCTURAL AND NONSTRUCTURAL VIRAL-PROTEINS IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C

The correlation between hepatitis C virus replication and antibodies t o both structural (core) and nonstructural (C100-3) hepatitis C virus proteins (anti-HCV core and anti-C100-3, respectively) was assessed. T he concentration of serum hepatitis C virus RNA was determined by a co mpetitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay, and a ntibody titers were determined by endpoint dilution. No correlation wa s found between viremic levels and antibody titers in 42 chronic hepat itis C patients. At the end of a 6-month course of interferon-a therap y, Is patients became negative for hepatitis C virus RNA. In the other 24 patients, post-treatment viremic levels ranged from 10(-6.5)-10(0. 5) Of pretreatment levels. Both anti-C100-3 and anti-HCV core frequent ly decreased in patients whose viremic levels dropped to the negative range or to <10(-2) of pretreatment levels. Anti-C100-3 decreased in a ll such cases (25/25), while anti-HCV core decreased in 18/25 (72%) (p <0.01), indicating that anti-C100-3 is more likely to decrease followi ng suppression of Viral replication than anti-HCV core. These data sug gest that hepatitis C virus antibodies may serve as a marker of suppre ssion of viremia following interferon therapy even in patients who do not clear the virus. (C) Journal of Hepatology.