In vitro system to study interactions between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)

BASTON MARIELA; BARÉ PATRICIA; CORAGLIA ANA; BRACCO MARÍA MARTA; RUIBAL ARES BEATRIZ

Congreso; XXIXth International Congress of the World Federation of Hemophilia; 2010

World Federation of Hemophilia

HIV impacts in HCV natural history, accelerating liver disease progression, increasing plasma HCV, and interfering with clearance. To contribute to clinical care of co-infected hemophilic individuals, in vitro systems that can improve our ability to study HIV-HCV interactions are required. In order to analyze the effects of an infection on the other, in vitro HIV and HCV infections were achieved, using a prolonged non-stimulated cell culture system. Plasma or sera from different HCV+ hemophilic patients and a culture supernatant (SN) from an HIV+ hemophilic patient were used as inoculums to infect mononuclear leukocytes from eleven healthy donors. Dual infections with HIV and HCV were made in tubes A, B, C, D, and infection with only one virus, HIV or HCV were made in tubes E and F, according to the following scheme: day 4: Tubes A/B/E HCV infection, tubes C/D/F HIV infection, Tube G uninfected control; and day 6: tubes A/B: HIV infection C/D: HCV infection. The success of infections was determined by nested RT-PCR (HCV) and with p24 assay (HIV) in culture SN. HCV+ plasma was more efficient for HCV infection than HCV+ sera (P < 0.0007). P24 antigen curves showed great variability in co-infected tubes (A, B, C, D) compared to HIV controls. HCV positivity in co-infected tubes was significantly higher than in HCV control tubes (P < 0.0035). HIV infection increased the frequency of HCV+ infections. In our culture system, the presence of HIV favored HCV infection and replication. In contrast, an effect of in vitro HCV infection in HIV detection could not be observed.