PMID- 9349300
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19971121
LR  - 20190815
IS  - 0304-8608 (Print)
IS  - 0304-8608 (Linking)
VI  - 142
IP  - 3
DP  - 1997
TI  - Hepatitis C virus infection in mixed cryoglobulinemia and B-cell non-Hodgkin's 
      lymphoma: evidence for a pathogenetic role.
PG  - 545-55
AB  - We investigated the pathogenetic relevance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection 
      in mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) with or without complicating B-cell Non-Hodgkin's 
      lymphoma (NHL) in comparison with other immunological and lymphoproliferative 
      disorders. The following groups of patients were studied: A) 25 patients with MC 
      in 7 cases evolved into B-cell NHL; B) 25 healthy subjects; C) 22 patients with 
      different systemic immune diseases; D) 24 patients with chronic HCV infection 
      without MC; E) 25 patients with B-cell idiopathic NHL. Methods used included: i) 
      Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HCV RNA detection in serum and peripheral 
      blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) (uncultured or mitogen-stimulated); ii) Branched 
      DNA (b-DNA) for HCV RNA quantification; iii) HCV genotyping by genotype-specific 
      primers localized in the core region and by hybridization of amplification 
      products of the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR), obtained with universal primers, 
      using genotype-specific probes. Serum anti-HCV and HCV RNA were detected in 88% 
      and 73% of MC patients, respectively, and in a significantly lower percentage of 
      healthy controls and patients with autoimmune diseases. HCV RNA concentration was 
      significantly lower in supernatants than in corresponding whole sera (p < 0.001). 
      Plus-strand HCV RNA was detected in 81% of peripheral blood mononuclear cell 
      (PBMC) samples and minus-strand in the majority of fresh or mitogen stimulated 
      cells. All MC patients with NHL had HCV RNA sequences in PBMC. HCV genotype 
      2a/III was detected in MC patients with a prevalence that was significantly 
      higher than in HCV infected patients without MC. Surprisingly, HCV markers 
      (anti-HCV and/or HCV RNA) were found in 32% of patients with idiopathic NHL. 
      These data suggest that HCV infection is involved in the pathogenesis of MC 
      through both direct participation in the immune complex related vasculitis and by 
      triggering the lymphoproliferative disorder underlying the disease. This latter 
      disorder seems to be related to HCV lymphotropism which could also be responsible 
      for the evolution of MC to malignant lymphoma. This study also suggests that HCV 
      infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of idiopathic B-cell NHL through a 
      similar pathogenetic mechanism.
FAU - Zignego, A L
AU  - Zignego AL
AD  - Istituto di Medicina Interna, University of Florence, Italy.
FAU - Ferri, C
AU  - Ferri C
FAU - Giannini, C
AU  - Giannini C
FAU - La Civita, L
AU  - La Civita L
FAU - Careccia, G
AU  - Careccia G
FAU - Longombardo, G
AU  - Longombardo G
FAU - Bellesi, G
AU  - Bellesi G
FAU - Caracciolo, F
AU  - Caracciolo F
FAU - Thiers, V
AU  - Thiers V
FAU - Gentilini, P
AU  - Gentilini P
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - Austria
TA  - Arch Virol
JT  - Archives of virology
JID - 7506870
RN  - 0 (RNA, Viral)
SB  - IM
MH  - Aged
MH  - Cryoglobulinemia/blood/complications/*virology
MH  - Female
MH  - Genotype
MH  - Hepacivirus/classification/genetics/isolation & purification
MH  - Hepatitis C, Chronic/blood/*complications/virology
MH  - Humans
MH  - Leukocytes, Mononuclear/virology
MH  - Lymphoma, B-Cell/blood/complications/*virology
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - RNA, Viral/blood
EDAT- 1997/01/01 00:00
MHDA- 1998/02/12 00:01
CRDT- 1997/01/01 00:00
PHST- 1997/01/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1998/02/12 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1997/01/01 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1007/s007050050100 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Arch Virol. 1997;142(3):545-55. doi: 10.1007/s007050050100.