REPLICATION AND MULTIPLICATION OF HEPATITIS-C VIRUS GENOME IN HUMAN FETAL LIVER-CELLS

The ability to obtain primary long-term cultures of human foetal hepat ocytes maintaining liver differentiation characteristics in serum-free medium prompted us to test their susceptibility to hepatitis C virus infection. Using PCR, we detected the presence of the HCV RNA-positive strand in the supernatants and in the cells of the virus-infected hep atocyte cultures, at various times post-infection. Evidence of effecti ve virus genome replication and multiplication was also based on the t ime-dependent appearance of the putative HCV RNA-negative strand, the detection of virus replicative intermediates and an increase in HCV ge nomic templates in the HCV-infected cells.