Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can infect peripheral blood mately 10 kb. 2 Acute posttransfusion hepatitis C mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with chronic HCV (PTHC) is followed by chronic hepatitis in about 50% infection. No data are available on PBMC testing for of the cases. Chronic hepatitis may also lead to cirrho-HCV RNA in acute hepatitis C. This study investigated sis and hepatocellular carcinoma in a substantial numthe presence of HCV RNA in PBMC of patients with ber of patients. [5][6][7] Since the isolation of HCV, 2 laboraacute posttransfusion hepatitis C, compared with those tory tests were developed to detect anti-HCV antibodies with chronic HCV infection. Nested polymerase chain in serum. 4 It has been demonstrated that anti-HCV is reaction (PCR) was applied to detect HCV RNA in 111 a useful marker of HCV infection. 1,8 General serological and 48 paired samples of serum and PBMC of 11 patients surveys of HCV infection were undertaken and high with acute posttransfusion hepatitis C and 48 patients seroprevalence rates of HCV were reported among spewith chronic HCV infection, respectively. In patients with acute posttransfusion hepatitis C, HCV RNA was cific risk groups. 3,9 Furthermore, in recent years, applidetected in 17 of 29 (59%) and 67 of 82 (82%) serum samcation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology ples collected during the incubation period and acute has permitted the detection of HCV-RNA sequences in phase, respectively. Meanwhile, of the 48 patients with serum, the liver, 10 and body fluids. 11 chronic HCV infection, 41 had serum HCV RNA (85%).
Through the use of different techniques such as HCV RNA was not detected in PBMC samples from incu-PCR [12][13][14][15][16] and in situ hybridization, 17 HCV genome has bation period or from acute-phase hepatitis, although it also been found in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was detected in 12 of the 48 PBMC samples of chronically (PBMC) in a number of patients with chronic HCV ininfected patients (25%) (P õ .005). Of the 12 PBMC specifection. Like many human blood-borne viruses, HCV mens positive for positive-stranded HCV RNA, 6 were may replicate in cells of hematopoietic origin. 18 Howalso positive for negative-stranded HCV RNA. Among patients with chronic HCV infection, HCV infection of ever, the biological relevance of the extrahepatic life PBMC was not related to age, sex, blood transfusion, cycle of this virus is still poorly understood, especially serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, or serum virus its latency in PBMC. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA has titers. In conclusion, HCV infection of PBMC rarely exbeen found in PBMC of patients with acute and chronic ists in patients with acute hepatitis C. As HCV infection HBV infection 19 ; however, HCV RNA has yet to be conpersists, the incidence of HCV infection of PBMC befirmed in PBMC of patients with acute PTHC. This comes higher. (HEPATOLOGY 1996;23:977-981.) study prospectively investigated the presence of HCV RNA in PBMC of patients with acute PTHC as com-Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been identified as the pared with those with chronic HCV infection. major causative agent of posttransfusion hepatitis 1,2 and sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis. 3,4 It is a positive-
PATIENTS AND METHODS
stranded RNA virus with a genome size of approxi-Patients. In a prospective posttransfusion hepatitis study of 192 patients 20 who underwent open heart, chest, or ortho-Abbreviations: HCV, hepatitis C virus; PTHC, posttransfusion hepatitis C; pedic surgeries between 1992 and 1993, 11 patients (4 men, 7 PCR, polymerase chain reaction; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cells; women; median age, 50 years; range, 24-69 years) developed HBV, hepatitis B virus; ALT, alanine transaminase.