B-LYMPHOCYTES ARE PREDOMINANTLY INVOLVED IN VIRAL PROPAGATION OF HEPATITIS-C VIRUS (HCV)

Recent reports have shown that HCV infection is not only restricted to hepatocytes. Like hepatitis B virus (HBV), which also was thought to be strictly hepatotropic in early molecular and cellular investigation s, infection of lymphoid cells by HCV in vivo has been demonstrated. W e showed that total peripheral blood leukocytes of chronically HCV-inf ected patients are infected by detection of plus- and minus-stranded H CV RNA using strand-specific oligonucleotide primers in the RT-PCR. Th ese cells also represent extrahepatic sites for the viral replication, as demonstrated by incorporation of [H-3]-uridine into nascent RNA af ter stimulation of the cells with a mitogen. Furthermore, total PBML f rom an uninfected person could be infected in vitro using an HCV-posit ive serum. It could be shown that replication of HCV RNA takes place i n these cells. Examination of different subsets of PBML showed predomi nant infection of B-lymphocytes during HCV disease. Additionally, infe ction of T-lymphocytes was detected in about 50% of all chronically HC V-infected patients.