B. Torres et al., HCV in serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and lymphocyte subpopulations in C-hepatitis patients, HEPATOL RES, 18(2), 2000, pp. 141-151
To define the best marker for the follow-up and evaluation of HCV infection
s we determined anti-HCV antibodies, serum transaminases and HCV RNA in pat
ients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis for C virus and treated with alpha-i
nterferon. The presence/absence of HCV RNA was determined in serum, periphe
ral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and lymphocyte subpopulations. Samples w
ere submitted to RT-PCR and subsequent nested PCR. Treatment with alpha-int
erferon induced a fall in the number of HCV RNA positive patients from an i
nitial 88 to 25% at the end of the treatment. The withdrawal of treatment w
as associated with a significant increase in the number of HCV RNA positive
patients (43% at the 12-month follow-up). In 61% of the patients the PCR a
nalysis of the PBMC population detected the presence of HCV RNA. In 87% of
cases the cell fraction identified as CD19 resulted positive in the PCR tes
t and the viral genome was undetectable in PBMC subpopulations in only 13%
of cases. In one third of the patients whose serum was negative for PCR the
analysis demonstrated the presence of HCV RNA in PBMC. Conclusions: The di
sappearance of the viral genome in serum, a criterion of treatment response
, is not necessarily followed by its disappearance in PBMC. The Joint deter
mination of HCV by PCR technique in serum and blood cells should be used as
a particular instrument with each patient. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Irela
nd Ltd. All rights reserved.