       Document 0238
 DOCN  M9630238
 TI    High hepatitis C viraemia and impaired antibody response in patients
       coinfected with HIV.
 DT    9603
 AU    Cribier B; Rey D; Schmitt C; Lang JM; Kirn A; Stoll-Keller F; INSERM
       U74, Strasbourg, France.
 SO    AIDS. 1995 Oct;9(10):1131-6. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96098128
 AB    OBJECTIVE: To compare hepatitis C virus (HCV) load in patients infected
       with HCV alone and those coinfected with HIV, and to evaluate the
       antibody response to HCV in the case of HIV infection. DESIGN: Patients
       coinfected with both HCV and HIV have been shown to develop hepatic
       changes more rapidly, which may be due to an interaction between HCV and
       HIV. In a prospective study, serum samples were taken from 150 patients.
       METHODS: Using reverse transcription followed by polymerase chain
       reaction and the branched DNA assay, we detected HCV RNA in 75 patients
       coinfected with HIV and HCV and in 75 patients infected with HCV alone.
       The HIV RNA was also quantified by the branched DNA assay and the p24
       antigenaemia was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The
       immune response to HCV was studied in the 150 patients by the use of
       third generation recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA). RESULTS: Although
       a comparable number of patients had detectable HCV viraemia in both
       groups, HCV RNA was quantifiable in 79% of HIV-positive patients and in
       only 43% of HIV-negative patients (P < 10(-5)), and the mean HCV RNA
       level was much higher in the HIV-positive group than in the HIV-negative
       group (P < 10(-7)). The quantity of HCV RNA did not correlate with the
       CD4 count, p24 antigenaemia or HIV RNA level. The analysis of RIBA
       showed 14.7% indeterminate or negative results in the HIV-positive group
       and only 4% indeterminate results in the HIV-negative group.
       HIV-positive patients had reactivity to less antigen bands than
       HIV-negative patients (P < 10(-3)), and they had a weaker reactivity to
       c100, c33c and NS5 antigen bands than HIV-negative patients. CONCLUSION:
       Our results show that in the case of HIV infection, the HCV RNA levels
       are strongly increased, but HCV load is not linked to the
       immunosuppression induced by HIV; therefore, the present data do not
       support the hypothesis of a direct interaction between HIV and HCV.
 DE    Adolescence  Adult  Aged  Base Sequence  CD4 Lymphocyte Count  Female
       Hepatitis C/COMPLICATIONS/IMMUNOLOGY/*VIROLOGY  Hepatitis C
       Antibodies/*BLOOD  Hepatitis C Viruses/GENETICS/*ISOLATION & PURIF
       Human  HIV/GENETICS  HIV Core Protein p24/BLOOD  HIV
       Infections/*COMPLICATIONS/IMMUNOLOGY/VIROLOGY  Male  Middle Age
       Molecular Sequence Data  Prospective Studies  RNA, Viral/BLOOD
       Viremia/*COMPLICATIONS/IMMUNOLOGY  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

