Genetic variation in interleukin 28B with respect to vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus and spontaneous clearance in HCV-infected children

✍ Scribed by Ángeles Ruiz-Extremera; José Antonio Muñoz-Gámez; María Angustias Salmerón-Ruiz; Paloma Muñoz de Rueda; Rosa Quiles-Pérez; Ana Gila-Medina; Jorge Casado; Ana Belén Martín; Laura Sanjuan-Nuñez; Ángel Carazo; Esther José Pavón; Esther Ocete-Hita; Josefa León; Javier Salmerón

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 335 KB
• Volume: 53
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.24298

✦ Synopsis

The vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV-VT) is a major route of HCV infection in children, but the risk factors remain incompletely understood. This study analyzed the role of interleukin 28B (IL28B) in HCV-VT and in the spontaneous clearance of HCV among infected infants. Between 1991 and 2009, 145 mothers were recruited for this study: 100 were HCV-RNA1ve / human immunodeficiency virus negative (HIV2ve), with 128 children, and 33 were HCV-RNA2ve/HCV antibody1ve, with 43 children. The infants were tested for HCV-RNA at birth and at regular intervals until the age of 6 years. IL28B (single nucleotide polymorphism rs12979860) was determined in the mothers and children. HCV-VT was assumed when children presented HCV-RNA1ve in two subsequent blood samples. HCV-VT-infected infants were categorized as: (1) transient viremia with posterior HCV-RNA2ve and without serum-conversion; (2) persistent infection with serum-conversion. Of the 31 mothers with CC polymorphism, 19 (61%) were HCV-RNA1ve, whereas among the 68 mothers with non-CC polymorphism, 56 (82%) were HCV-RNA1ve. In all, 26 of 128 (20%) infants born to the HCV-RNA1ve mothers acquired HCV infection, but only 9 (7%) were chronically infected. The rate of HCV-VT was higher among the mothers with higher HCV viremia. No HCV-VT was detected in the HCV-RNA2ve women. Neither the mothers' nor the childrens' IL-28 status was associated with an increased risk of HCV-VT. The factors influencing viral clearance among the infected children were genotype non-1 and genotype CC of IL28B. In logistic regression, child CC polymorphism was the only predictor of HCV-clearance in HCV genotype-1. Conclusion: High maternal viral load is the only predictive factor of HCV-VT. IL28B plays no role in HCV-VT, but IL28B CC child polymorphism is associated independently with the spontaneous clearance of HCV genotype-1 among infected children. (