Two Successive Hepatitis C Virus Infections in an Intravenous Drug User
AUTOR(ES)
Proust, Barbara
FONTE
American Society for Microbiology
RESUMO
We report the case of an occasional intravenous drug user who developed two successive hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. The first infection led to seroconversion (anti-HCV antibodies detected) and the detection of HCV RNA in serum. After a spontaneous recovery (normalization of alanine aminotransferase levels and HCV RNA clearance), a second HCV infection was observed, with the recurrence of HCV viremia. Antibody directed against HCV serotype 1 was detected throughout the follow-up monitoring, but two different HCV strains were identified during the two infectious episodes: genotype 1a for the first and genotype 3a for the second. This observation shows that primary HCV infection does not confer protective immunity against subsequent infection with viruses of other genotypes. This may hamper the development of a vaccine. Conflicting results were obtained in genotyping and serotyping assays, suggesting that the serotyping method cannot be used to identify the HCV type in patients, such as intravenous drug users, who are exposed to successive HCV infections.
ACESSO AO ARTIGO
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=87209Documentos Relacionados
- Detection of hepatitis C virus in the nasal secretions of an intranasal drug-user
- Mass lesion in an intravenous drug user. Round pneumonia.
- Mitral Bioprosthetic Valve Endocarditis Caused by an Unusual Microorganism, Gemella morbillorum, in an Intravenous Drug User
- Late Prosthetic Hip Joint Infection with Actinomyces israelii in an Intravenous Drug User: Case Report and Literature Review
- Hepatitis D Virus Genotypes in Intravenous Drug Users in Taiwan: Decreasing Prevalence and Lack of Correlation with Hepatitis B Virus Genotypes