DIFFERENT HEPATITIS-C VIRUS (HCV) RNA LOAD PROFILES FOLLOWING SEROCONVERSION AMONG INJECTING DRUG-USERS WITHOUT CORRELATION WITH HCV GENOTYPE AND SERUM ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE LEVELS

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection often persists in association,vith c hronic hepatitis. Different factors have been proposed to determine th e clinical outcome of HCV infection, The aim of this study was to exam ine three different factors of HCV infection among injecting drug user s. Nineteen untreated HCV seroconverters were tested longitudinally fo r the presence of HCV RNA by reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR, and resul ts were quantified by the branched-DNA (bDNA) assay. HCV genotypes wer e determined with the first sample taken after HCV seroconversion. To assess the natural course of infection, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were measured at three stages in every individual, The c oncordance between bDNA and RT-PCR was 98.9%. Three distinct patterns were found, according to the HCV RNA load after seroconversion during a mean follow-lip period of 5 years (range, 1 to 8 years), HCV genotyp e la was predominant (52.6%). There was a significant increase in seru m ALT levels (mean 55.5 U/liter) in the early phase of HCV infection, compared with basal serum ALT levels before HCV seroconversion and at the end of the follow-up period. Three distinct HCV RNA load profiles were found, without apparent relationship to genotype and serum ALT le vels in the first 5 years of HCV infection.