Longitudinal study of a human drug-induced model of autoantibody to cytoplasmic rods/rings following HCV therapy with ribavirin and interferon-α

• Published in: PloS one 2012-09, Vol.7 (9), p.e45392
• Main Authors: Keppeke, Gerson Dierley, Nunes, Eunice, Ferraz, Maria Lucia Gomes, Silva, Eduardo Antônio Benedito, Granato, Celso, Chan, Edward K L, Andrade, Luís Eduardo C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antinuclear antibodies; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Autoantibodies; Autoantibodies - metabolism; Autoimmune diseases; Biology; Correlation analysis; Enzymes; Female; Gastroenterology; Gene expression; Hepatitis; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis C, Chronic - drug therapy; Hepatitis C, Chronic - immunology; Hepatology; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immunofluorescence; Immunoglobulins; Immunology; Insects; Interferon; Interferon-alpha - therapeutic use; Laboratories; Liver; Longitudinal Studies; Lupus; Male; Medicine; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Patients; Rheumatology; Ribavirin; Ribavirin - therapeutic use; RNA polymerase; Rods; Sexually transmitted diseases; Signal transduction; Smooth muscle; STD; Therapy; α-Interferon
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045392

A novel pattern in the indirect immunofluorescence antinuclear antibody assay on HEp-2 cells (IIF-HEp-2) characterized by cytoplasmic rods and rings (RR) was reported in HCV patients, but stringent disease specificity studies and longitudinal analysis are lacking. We investigated the clinical significance of anti-RR in an HCV cohort with up to a 12-month treatment follow up. 597 patients (342 HCV, 55 HCV/HIV, 200 non-HCV) were screened and titered for anti-RR. Serial samples were available from 78 of 176 treated and 27 of 166 untreated patients. Anti-RR was detected in 14.1% of 342 HCV patients, 9.1% of 55 HCV/HIV, 3.4% of 29 Hepatitis B, and none of 171 non-HCV (p