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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 2003, p. 3881-3884, Vol. 41, No. 8
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.8.3881-3884.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Monitoring Response to Antiviral Therapy for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection by a Core-Antigen Assay

Chiara Rebucci,1 Antonella Cerino,2 Agostino Cividini,1,2 Letizia Timo,2 Milena Furione,3 and Mario U. Mondelli1,2*

Laboratori di Ricerca-Area Infettivologica,2 Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive,1 Servizio di Virologia, I.R.C.C.S. Policlinico San Matteo and Università degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, Italy3

Received 12 March 2003/ Accepted 6 May 2003

A recently released immunoassay detecting total serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen was used to prospectively monitor virological responses to antiviral treatment in patients with chronic HCV infection. Sustained responders cleared core protein from serum within the first month of therapy and maintained stably negative values for the entire duration of follow-up after treatment discontinuation. However, patients who relapsed or failed to respond showed transient negative values and could not be accurately discriminated either because of the intrinsic lower sensitivity of the core-antigen assay than those of molecular assays or because of differentially regulated secretion of immunoreactive core protein from infected hepatocytes.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratori di Ricerca-Area Infettivologica, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, via Taramelli 5, 27100 Pavia, Italy. Phone: 39 0382 502636. Fax: 39 0382 526450. E-mail: m.mondelli{at}smatteo.pv.it.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 2003, p. 3881-3884, Vol. 41, No. 8
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.8.3881-3884.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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