Continuous release of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells and B-lymphoblastoid cell-line cultures derived from HCV-infected patients

PATRICIA BARE, IVANA MASSUD, CECILIA PARODI, LILIANA BELMONTE, GABRIEL GARCÝA, MARCELO DE CAMPOS NEBEL, MARCELO CORTI, MIGUEL TEZANOS PINTO, RAUL PEREZ BIANCO, MARÝA M. BRACCO, RODOLFO CAMPOS, BEATRIZ RUIBAL ARES.

JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY

Society for General Microbiology

Año: 2005 vol. 86 p. 1717 - 1727

0022-1317

In order to investigate hepatitis C virus (HCV) persistence and replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from a group of haemophilic individuals, HCV production and release to PBMC culture supernatants (SNs) from HCV singly infected patients and HIV/HCV co-infected patients was studied. HCV RNA+ SNs were found more frequently from HIV/HCV co-infected individuals (89?5%) with poor reconstitution of their immune status than from singly HCV-infected patients (57 %) or from HIV/HCV co-infected individuals with a good response to highly active anti-retroviral therapy (50 %). The presence of the HCV genome in culture SNs was associated with lower CD4+ T-cell counts and with a more severe clinical picture of HIV infection. In spite of prolonged negative HCV viraemia, PBMC from HIV/HCV co-infected patients released the HCV genome after culture. HCV permissive PBMC allowed generation of HCV productive B cell lines with continuous HCV replication. These findings add further weight to the involvement of PBMCs in persistence of HCV infection and emphasize the role of B lymphocytes as HCV reservoirs.+ SNs were found more frequently from HIV/HCV co-infected individuals (89?5%) with poor reconstitution of their immune status than from singly HCV-infected patients (57 %) or from HIV/HCV co-infected individuals with a good response to highly active anti-retroviral therapy (50 %). The presence of the HCV genome in culture SNs was associated with lower CD4+ T-cell counts and with a more severe clinical picture of HIV infection. In spite of prolonged negative HCV viraemia, PBMC from HIV/HCV co-infected patients released the HCV genome after culture. HCV permissive PBMC allowed generation of HCV productive B cell lines with continuous HCV replication. These findings add further weight to the involvement of PBMCs in persistence of HCV infection and emphasize the role of B lymphocytes as HCV reservoirs.