Extra‐hepatic infection of hepatitis C virus in the colon tissue and its relationship with hepatitis C virus pathogenesis. Issue 8 (August 2016) - Hetta, Helal F.
Abstract : N/A: Extra‐hepatic compartments might contribute to hepatitis C virus (HCV) persistence and extra‐hepatic manifestations. Therefore, we investigated HCV infection in colonic tissue in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and its relationship with HCV pathogenesis. Colonic biopsies were collected from three groups with CHC infection: treatment naïve (TN; n =12), non‐responders (NR; n =10) to anti‐HCV therapy (pegylated interferon‐α and ribavirin) and sustained virologic response (SVR; n =10) and from a fourth healthy control group ( n =10). Liver biopsies were examined to assess inflammation and fibrosis. HCV infection and colonic T regulatory (Treg ) frequency were detected by immunohistochemistry. HCV core and NS3 proteins were detected in B cells and macrophage/monocytes of 42 % and 25 % of TN and 50 % and 30 % of NR, respectively, but not in SVR or control group. The numbers of cells expressing HCV proteins were positively correlated with both HCV viral load and colonic Treg frequency. A significant negative correlation between HCV‐expressing cells with both liver inflammation and fibrosis was identified. Our study provides evidence that HCV can infect B cells and macrophages of the colon. The correlations between HCV infection in colonic tissue and HCV viral load and liver pathology underline the significance of this extra‐hepatic infection in HCV pathogenesis and response to therapy.