Hepatitis C virus persistence after sustained virological response to antiviral therapy in patients with or without past exposure to hepatitis B virus

• Published in: Journal of viral hepatitis 2012-02, Vol.19 (2), p.103-111
• Main Authors: Pham, T. N. Q., Coffin, C. S., Churchill, N. D., Urbanski, S. J., Lee, S. S., Michalak, T. I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antiviral Agents - administration & dosage; Biopsy; Blood - virology; extrahepatic HCV and HBV infections; Female; Hepacivirus - isolation & purification; Hepatitis B - complications; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B virus - isolation & purification; Hepatitis C - complications; Hepatitis C - drug therapy; Hepatitis C - pathology; Hepatitis C - virology; Hepatitis C virus; Histocytochemistry; Humans; Liver - pathology; liver alterations in low-level HCV infection; Liver Cirrhosis - pathology; lymphoid cell infection; Male; occult HBV persistence; occult HCV infection; Viral Load
• ISSN: 1352-0504; 1365-2893
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2011.01442.x

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) frequently coinfect and persist long after clinical resolution. We assessed the incidence of low‐level (occult) HCV infection (OCI) after sustained virological response (SVR) to standard anti‐HCV therapy in individuals with or without past exposure to HBV to recognize whether HBV could influence the prevalence of OCI, HCV level and hepatic histology. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected from 24 individuals at 6‐ to 12‐month intervals for up to 72 months after SVR. Liver histology was available for nine patients. HCV and HBV genomes were detected with sensitivity