HCV replication in gastrointestinal mucosa: Potential extra-hepatic viral reservoir and possible role in HCV infection recurrence after liver transplantation.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) predominantly infects hepatocytes, although it is known that receptors for viral entry are distributed on a wide array of target cells. Chronic HCV infection is indeed characterized by multiple non-liver manifestations, suggesting a more complex HCV tropism extended to extrahepatic tissues and remains to be fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the gastrointestinal mucosa (GIM) as a potential extrahepatic viral replication site and its contribution to HCV recurrence.

Methods

We analyzed GIM biopsies from a cohort of 76 patients, 11 of which were HCV-negative and 65 HCV-positive. Of these, 54 biopsies were from liver-transplanted patients. In 29 cases, we were able to investigate gastrointestinal biopsies from the same patient before

SUBMITTER: Russelli G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5531480 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature