HCV in serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and lymphocyte subpopulations in C-hepatitis patients

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.