Hepatitis C virus antibodies in chronic active hepatitis: pathogenetic factor or false-positive result?

Abstract

An enzyme immunoassay (Ortho-HCV ELISA) for antibodies against the hepatitis C virus (HCV) was used to test 143 serum samples from 53 patients with autoimmune chronic active hepatitis (AI-CAH). Optical density (OD) values in the assay correlated closely with serum globulin (r = 0.8846, p much less than 0.0005) and IgG (r = 0.6281, p less than 0.0005) concentrations but not with immunosuppressant therapy. OD values were positive in 20 (65%) of 31 with active disease and in only 1 (5%) of 22 in remission (p less than 0.0005). The association between positive results and active disease and high serum globulin levels was confirmed by serial studies in 6 of the patients. In contrast, none of 31 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and only 2 of 24 with non-hepatic disorders associated with high IgG concentrations were positive, and these controls showed no correlation between OD values and serum globulins or IgG. The findings suggest that serum from AI-CAH patients may contain a component that gives false-positive results in the assay.

• Authors: I G McFarlane, H M Smith, P J Johnson, G P Bray, D Vergani, R Williams
• Journal: Lancet (London, England) (Lancet) Vol. 335 Issue 8692 Pg. 754-7 (Mar 31 1990) ISSN: 0140-6736 [Print] England
• PMID: 1969512 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Autoantibodies
• Hepatitis Antibodies
• Immunoglobulin G
• Serum Globulins

Topics

• Absorption
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Autoantibodies (analysis)
• Child
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (methods)
• Evaluation Studies as Topic
• False Positive Reactions
• Female
• Hepatitis Antibodies (analysis)
• Hepatitis C (blood, immunology, metabolism, microbiology)
• Hepatitis Viruses (pathogenicity)
• Hepatitis, Chronic (blood, immunology, metabolism, microbiology)
• Hepatitis, Viral, Human (immunology)
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin G (analysis)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Serum Globulins (analysis)