Tissue immunodetection of c100 hepatitis C virus antigen in major thalassemic patients

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) detection in the livers of chronic ally infected patients remains a debatable issue. To determine the signific ance of hepatic expression of hepatitis C viral antigen c100, an immunohist ochemical assay was performed in 113 young thalassemics with chronic HCV in fection. METHODOLOGY: One hundred and thirteen patients were seropositive for antibo dy to HCV by second-generation testing. The monoclonal antibody TORDJI-22 w as used in an alkaline phosphatase 3-step staining method, and any possible association between the results of HCV immunodetection and various clinico pathologic variables was investigated by univariate and multivariate statis tical analysis. In 36 cases, post-therapy liver biopsy specimens were also studied. RESULTS: HCV c100 antigen was detected in 62% of all pretherapy samples, ex clusively in the cytoplasm of rather few hepatocytes. Its expression was po sitively associated with male gender (p=0.02) as well as with rather advanc ed age (p=0.03) and was frequently accompanied by low necroinflammatory sco res (according to the modified HAI grading). At the end of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy, the immunoreactive prevalence of c100 antigen decreas ed significantly (pF=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that hepatic expression of c100 antigen is detecte d in a considerable percentage of thalassemics but it is not likely to prov ide information concerning the viral load in the infected liver. IFN therap y appears to reduce the hepatic expression of this viral antigen in thalass emic patients.