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Virological analysis and phenotypic characterization of peripheral blood lymphocytes of hepatitis C virus-infected patients with and without mixed cryoglobulinaemia.

Sansonno D, Lauletta G, Montrone M, Tucci FA, Nisi L, Dammacco F

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy. d.sansonno@dimo.uniba.it

In clinical and pathological terms hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients can be subdivided into two main groups with and without mixed cryoglobulinaemia (MC). Involvement of blood mononuclear cells by HCV has potentially important implications. To this end, HCV-RNA levels in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) preparations of 20 chronically HCV-infected patients with MC were measured and compared with those found in a group of 20 patients without MC matched for age, serum HCV-RNA, infectious genotype, source and presumable duration of infection. Phenotypic abnormalities of PBL subsets in each group of patients were determined by cell surface marker expression and compared. Results showed a significant enrichment of HCV-RNA in PBL of MC patients compared with a non-MC group (P = 0.01). Different distribution of HCV-RNA was accompanied by evidence of an increased frequency of circulating B cells. These data indicate that MC patients are characterized distinctly by a higher quota of cell-associated viral load.

Published 17 January 2006 in Clin Exp Immunol, 143(2): 288-96.
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