Longitudinal Analysis of Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Genetic Drift of the Hypervariable Region

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 169; no. 6; pp. 1226 - 1235
• Main Authors: van Doorn, Leen-Jan, Quint, Wim, Tsiquaye, Kwesi, Voermans, Jolanda, Paelinck, Dimitri, Kos, Ton, Maertens, Geert, Schellekens, Huub, Murray, Kenneth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.06.1994; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antibodies; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Chimpanzees; Cohort Studies; DNA, Viral; Experimental viral diseases and models; Female; Gene Frequency; Genetic Variation; Genomes; Hepacivirus; Hepacivirus - genetics; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C - epidemiology; Hepatitis C - genetics; hepatitis C virus; Infections; Infectious diseases; Inoculation; Longitudinal Studies; Major Articles; Male; Medical sciences; Molecular Sequence Data; Pan troglodytes; Polymerase chain reaction; primates; Retrospective Studies; RNA; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Viral diseases; Viruses; Genetic drift; RNA; Monkey; Hepatic disease; Exploration; Infection; Virus; Polymerase chain reaction; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Follow up study; Viral disease; Animal; Primates; Digestive diseases; Flaviviridae; Molecular biology; Hepatitis C virus; Viral hepatitis C
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/169.6.1226

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in a cohort of chimpanzees were studied retrospectively. All animals had been inoculated intravenously with materials derived from a single-source chimpanzee plasma implicated in non-A, non-B hepatitis, prepared by extensive ultracentrifugation. Anti-HCV and HCV RNA were monitored by the confirmatory line immunoassay and by an RNA-capture polymerase chain reaction method, respectively. In a chronically infected chimpanzee, HCV RNA was detectable after 32 days and throughout the acute phase, dropped transiently below detection level, and became detectable again. In 3 other chimpanzees with acute resolving infections, HCV RNA was detected 7–11 days after inoculation and became permanently undetectable after alanine aminotransferase normalization. Various anti-HCV profiles were detected among the chimpanzees. Analysis of the hypervariable region in E2/NS1 in 7 chimpanzees suggested genome stability on transmission, revealed different mutation frequencies during chronic infection, and suggested the importance of immune selection during chronic HCV infection.