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Hepatitis C virus genotypes, reactivity to recombinant immunoblot assay 2 antigens and liver disease
H Ichimura1, I Tamura, O Kurimura
1Institute of Clinical Research, Kure National Hospital, Japan.
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype III is more prevalent in chronic liver disease patients than blood donors. Seroreactivity to specific HCV antigens differs between genotypes and disease status.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Immunology
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease (CLD).
- Understanding the relationship between HCV genotypes and disease progression is crucial for effective management.
- Geographic variations in HCV genotype distribution are well-documented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between HCV genotypes and liver disease in a Japanese population.
- To compare HCV genotype prevalence in patients with CLD versus healthy blood donors.
- To examine seroreactivity to HCV antigens in relation to genotype and disease status.
Main Methods:
- HCV genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with type-specific primers.
- Serum samples from 151 blood donors and 180 CLD patients were analyzed.
- Recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA-2) was used to assess seroreactivity to HCV antigens.
Main Results:
- HCV genotype III was significantly more prevalent in CLD patients (80%) compared to blood donors (55%).
- HCV genotype II was more frequent in blood donors (29.1%) than in CLD patients (11.7%).
- Seropositivity to specific HCV antigens (5-1-1, C100-3) was higher in type II infected donors and in type III infected CLD patients.
Conclusions:
- HCV genotype III is strongly associated with chronic liver disease in this Japanese cohort.
- HCV genotype II may be less pathogenic or associated with different clinical outcomes.
- Serological profiles vary significantly based on HCV genotype and disease status, potentially aiding in diagnosis and prognosis.
Abstract:
To clarify the relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes and liver disease, we typed HCV genomes in the sera of 151 blood donors, 180 patients with type C chronic liver disease (CLD), and 30 haemophiliacs residing in Hiroshima, Japan. All of the subjects were positive for anti-HCV and HCV-RNA, and were examined for seroreactivity to HCV-specific antigens. The HCV genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with type-specific primers deduced from the putative core region of the HCV genome. Significantly more (P < 0.001) type III HCV was found in the samples from the CLD patients (80%) than in those from the blood donors (55%). Significantly more (P < 0.001) type III HCV was found in the samples from the blood donors (29.1%) than in those from the CLD patients (11.7%). There was no significant difference in the distribution of the HCV types among the patients with chronic active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. A four-antigen recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA-2) assay was used to compare the serum samples for their reactivity to a range of structural and nonstructural peptides specific for HCV (5-1-1, C100-3, C33c, and C22-3). The frequency of seropositivity to 5-1-1 and C100-3 was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in type II HCV-infected blood donors than in type III HCV-infected donors (68.2% and 65.9% vs. 4.5% and 22.7%, respectively). Among the type III HCV-infected individuals, the CLD patients had a significantly higher (P < 0.01) frequency of seropositivity to 5-1-1 than the blood donors (33.3% vs. 4.5%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)