Key result
Hepatitis C virus core antigen stained 41.6% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and localized primarily to CD68+ macrophages in the heart, liver, kidney, and bone marrow.
Why the study?
Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is associated with extrahepatic manifestations including renal and cardiac involvement, but morphological evidence of viral localization across various organs remained to be clarified.
Does hepatitis C virus infect and replicate within specific leukocyte subsets (such as CD68-positive macrophages) across multiple organs including the heart in patients with chronic HCV infection?
Observational (n=21)
Single-blind
No
Does hepatitis C virus infect and replicate within specific leukocyte subsets (such as CD68-positive macrophages) across multiple organs including the heart in patients with chronic HCV infection?
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
This immunohistochemical study demonstrates that CD68-positive monocytes/macrophages—rather than parenchymal cells like myocytes or hepatocytes—are the primary cellular target and replication site of HCV in the heart, liver, kidney, and bone marrow, offering a potential mechanism for HCV-related myocarditis and extrahepatic organ involvement.
Chronic hepatitis C virus infection has been associated with several extrahepatic manifestations, among these, renal and cardiac involvement. However, morphological evidence of hepatitis C virus localization in various organs remains to be clarified.We used immunohistochemistry to analyze the hepatitis C virus core and nonstructural antigens. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained from four patients with hepatitis C virus infection. Liver, kidney, heart, and bone marrow were taken from autopsy specimens from nine patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and three patients with cardiomyopathies with positive hepatitis C virus infection.Antibody against hepatitis C virus core antigen stained peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and the majority of positive staining was seen in CD68-positive macrophages. Hepatitis C virus core and NS4 antibodies stained mostly infiltrating cells in the liver, heart, kidney, and bone marrow, but not hepatocytes, myocytes, or globular cells. Serial sections stained by CD68, CD3, and CD20 antibodies showed that most of the hepatitis C virus-positive cells were CD68-positive macrophages.We demonstrate for the first time clear distribution of hepatitis C virus antigen in mononuclear cells in various organs from patients with hepatitis C virus infection. This study suggests that macrophages are the major target of hepatitis C virus infection.
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Matsumori et al. (2010) conducted an observational in Hepatitis C virus infection with hepatocellular carcinoma or cardiomyopathy (n=21). Hepatitis C virus infection vs. HCV-negative patients with hypertension and uninfected liver tissue was evaluated on Percentage of HCV-core antigen positive cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and their CD68 macrophage positivity. Hepatitis C virus core antigen stained 41.6% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and localized primarily to CD68+ macrophages in the heart, liver, kidney, and bone marrow.
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