CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

AbstractPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) fromchronic Hepatitis C virus infected persons can harbor viral variantsundetectable in plasma samples. We explored the presence and persistence of HCVgenotypes in plasma and PBMC cultures from 25 HCV monoinfected and 25 HIV/HCVcoinfected patients with hemophilia.Cell cultures were performed at different timepoints between 1993 and 2010-2011, and HCV genome was examined in supernatantsamples (SN) obtained along culture days. Sequential plasma samples were studiedduring the same time period. Analyzing sequential plasma samples, 21% of thepatients had mixed-genotype infections, while 50% displayed HCV mixedinfections after the PBMC culture. HIV coinfection was associated with thepresence of mixed infections using Fisher?s exact test (OR= 4.57, p= 0.02;95%CI=1.38 - 15.1). In our previous study, genotype 1 was found in the 72% of288 patients of this same cohort. Similar results were obtained with thesequential plasma samples included in this study, which showed 69% of genotype1. However, when taking into account plasma samples together with SN after cellculture, genotype 1 was revealed in 94% of the population, although it had notbeen detected in all cases through the analysis of sequential plasma samplesalone. The PBMC-associated variants were found for 10 years in some subjects, emphasizingtheir role as long-term reservoirs. The presence of genotype 1 could represent acause of therapeutic failure and should not be disregarded when treatinghemophilic patients who have been infected by contaminated factor concentrates.The clinical implications of persistent lymphotropic HCV variants deservefurther examination among particular groups of HCV chronic carriers.