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HCV core antigen and HCV-RNA in HIV/HCV co-infected patients with different HCV genotypes

Anna Rosa Garbuglia1, Alessia Monachetti, Claudio Galli

  • 1Virology, Laboratory of Virology, "L,Spallanzani" National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Via Portuense, 292, 00149 Rome, Italy. argarbuglia@iol.it.

BMC Infectious Diseases
|April 25, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis C virus core antigen (HCVAg) shows high concordance with HCV-RNA in co-infected patients. HCVAg offers a cost-effective and rapid alternative for monitoring HCV infection in these individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Virology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen (HCVAg) correlates with HCV-RNA, but data in HCV/HIV co-infection are limited.
  • Evaluating HCVAg and HCV-RNA kinetics during antiviral therapy in HCV/HIV co-infected patients is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the correlation between HCVAg and HCV-RNA in HCV/HIV co-infected patients.
  • To determine the kinetics of HCVAg and HCV-RNA during antiviral treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed 355 samples from 286 HCV/HIV co-infected subjects for both HCVAg and HCV-RNA.
  • Evaluated correlation in treated and untreated patients across different HCV genotypes.
  • Statistical analysis included chi-square, Fisher's exact, Student's t-test, and Mann-Whitney tests.

Main Results:

  • HCVAg was detectable in 91.4% of HCV-RNA positive sera, showing 90.1% overall concordance.
  • Correlation was fair in untreated (r=0.742) and treated (r=0.881) patients, stronger for genotypes 1 and 4.
  • HCVAg sensitivity approximated 1,000 IU/mL HCV-RNA; one case showed earlier relapse prediction by HCVAg.

Conclusions:

  • HCVAg is an adequate tool for diagnosing ongoing HCV infection in HIV co-infected patients.
  • HCVAg offers lower costs and faster turnaround times compared to HCV-RNA assays.
  • HCVAg monitoring may provide earlier detection of treatment response or relapse.
Abstract

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