Combined therapy with interferon and ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C doesnot affect serum quasispecies diversity

Our aim was to investigate if interferon plus ribavirin has any effect on s erum HCV quasispecies distribution and the relationship between diversity o f HCV quasispecies and treatment response. In all, 21 patients were treated with interferon plus ribavirin for 48 weeks. The presence of HCV quasispec ies was determined in serum samples at baseline and at the fourth week of t reatment by SSCP analysis of the hypervariable region. SSCP pattern was def ined as single or multiple band. A single band was found in six patients an d multiple bands in nine. No significant difference was found between SSCP pattern in pretreatment samples and response to the therapy. In none of the patients were observed changes in number of SSCP bands between samples tak en at baseline and in the fourth week of the therapy. In conclusion, the co mplexity of HCV quasispecies before the therapy was not related to treatmen t response; combined therapy did not affect serum HCV quasispecies.