SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Common Variable Immunodeficiency”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 793 records · Page 44Linked to original sources

PubMed2001

Rapid detection of antibodies to immunoglobulin A molecules by using the particle gel immunoassay.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Antibodies to immunoglobulin A (IgA) molecules are thought to be frequently responsible for anaphylactic reactions in transfusion medicine, but practical tests for the detection of antibodies to IgA are not yet available. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Red, high-density polystyrene beads were coated with purified IgA molecules and then used to test serum samples collected from unselected healthy blood donors (n = 105) and patients with common variable immunodeficiency and/or IgA deficiency (n = 44). For testing, the standard gel-agglutination technique (ID-Micro Typing System) was employed. RESULTS: None of the normal serum samples were reactive with IgA-coated beads and samples from only 10 patients were positive (titre range 1 : 2 to 1 : 256). Only one out of all patients studied had a history of an anaphylactic reaction and this was related to the administration of Rh(D) prophylaxis (anti-D immunoglobulin). The beads did not show non-specific agglutination and could be used repeatedly for longer than 6 months. The results were reproducible in all patients tested. CONCLUSION: The new test allows a specific and rapid detection of antibodies to IgA molecules. In order to evaluate the clinical relevance of the test, analysis is required of a wider range of antibodies that produce anaphylactic reactions.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The efficacy of immunoglobulin replacement therapy in the long-term follow-up of the B-cell deficiencies (XLA, HIM, CVID).

Immunoglobulin replacement therapy is the essential treatment of B-cell deficiencies. Because of the high expense of therapy, optimal dose, infusion intervals and serum IgG levels should be well defined. Data of 19 X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), 7 hyper-IgM syndrome (HIM) and 20 common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) patients were analyzed. Infection frequencies and hospitalization requirements were correlated with the immunoglobulin doses used and serum IgG levels achieved. The characteristics before diagnosis and after treatment were compared among the XLA, HIM and CVID groups. By using a median dose of 370 mg/kg/month immunoglobulin, which maintained serum IgG levels at a median concentration of 440 mg/dl, the annual incidence of infections dropped from 12.4 to 3.2 and annual hospitalization requirements decreased from 1.6 to 0.16 per patient. Serum IgG levels of 300-500 mg/dl were found to be satisfactory, except in the CVID group. Increasing the level over 500 mg/dl neither prevented pneumonia further nor decreased the need for hospitalization. Monthly replacement was found to be adequate, except for XLA patients. Serum IgG levels between 300-500 mg/dl are sufficient for effective treatment of hypogammaglobulinemias. These concentrations can be maintained with 300-400 mg/kg/month doses. Higher doses and IgG levels are not needed.

Agammaglobulinemia↗

PubMed1998

GB virus C infection in patients with primary antibody deficiency.

Sera from 77 patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) were tested for GB virus C (GBV-C) RNA, because they are prone to unexplained chronic hepatitis, and from 28 patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) who have a similar primary antibody deficiency but are not prone to hepatitis. Eight CVID and 8 XLA patients were positive; 6 positive CVID and 3 XLA patients had abnormal liver enzymes, explained in 3 by either hepatitis B or C virus infection. Most patients tested had antibodies to the E2 antigen of GBV-C, apparently passively acquired from their immunoglobulin therapy. The high prevalence of GBV-C viremia in CVID and XLA patients is probably explained by their long-term exposure to blood products. Our data indicate that GBV-C does not cause chronic hepatitis in immunocompromised XLA patients and is not the cause of chronic non-B or -C hepatitis in the majority of CVID patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

A new strategy for the prevention of IgA anaphylactic transfusion reactions.

BACKGROUND: Management of patients with clinically significant anti-IgA is difficult and unsatisfactory in many aspects. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A 40-year-old man with common variable immunodeficiency had a previous history of anaphylaxis after an intramuscular immunoglobulin administration. His serum contained anti-IgA, and he required immunoglobulins for recurrent infections. RESULTS: The administration of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIgG) containing less than 0.1 mg per mL IgA led to an anaphylactic reaction after the transfusion of only 2 to 3 mL. The same IVIgG charge was subsequently pretreated with freshly separated autologous plasma and given to the patient on three consecutive days without any reaction (1.25, 10, and 10 g each in 400 mL plasma). Anti-IgA activity did not increase, and the patient was treated again without complications. DISCUSSION: Ex vivo pretreatment of IVIgG preparations with autologous plasma appears to be safe and useful in the management of patients with clinically significant anti-IgA. To achieve a significant IgA blockage, the preparation to be used should not contain large amounts of IgA. CONCLUSION: The strategy described here appears to be safe and may help prevent anaphylaxis in many instances.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Pulmonary abnormalities in patients with primary hypogammaglobulinemia.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary complications are common in patients with primary hypogammaglobulinemia. Intravenous immunoglobulin replacement therapy has been thought to reduce the occurrence of pulmonary complications, yet they do occur. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate pulmonary abnormalities in 22 patients with primary hypogammaglobulinemia (18 with common variable immunodeficiency, 4 with X-linked agammaglobulinemia) and to conduct a prospective 3-year follow-up study to assess the possible progression of pulmonary abnormalities. METHODS: Pulmonary changes were evaluated with use of pulmonary imaging (chest radiographs, high-resolution computed tomography), and pulmonary function testing. RESULTS: High-resolution computed tomography revealed pulmonary abnormalities in 21 patients. Bronchiectasis was present in 16 patients, whereas chest radiographs revealed bronchiectasis in only 3 patients. Pulmonary function testing showed obstruction in 5 patients. A prospective 3-year follow-up was conducted in 14 patients. It showed silent progression of bronchiectasis in 5 of the 14 patients, all of whom were receiving intravenous immunoglobulin replacement therapy and had preinfusion serum IgG concentrations of 5 g/L or more. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary abnormalities develop in most patients with primary hypogammaglobulinemia. A new finding is that silent and asymptomatic progression of pulmonary changes may occur in patients despite an adequate immunoglobulin replacement therapy. High-resolution computed tomography is the method of choice in monitoring pulmonary changes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Airway obstruction in adults with recurrent respiratory infections and IgG deficiency.

In 42 adults with recurrent respiratory infections (RRI) and common variable immunodeficiency or immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass deficiency, the results of pulmonary function tests were related to factors apt to produce airway obstruction: serum concentration of IgG and IgG subclasses, various features of acute RRI (number/year, time from onset to diagnosis, episodes of pneumonia, etc) and type of chronic lung disease (smoking and nonsmoking related chronic bronchitis, episodic wheezing, and bronchiectasis). Compared with nonsmokers, usually less than 40 years of age, the patients above 40 had smoking-related chronic bronchitis and had obstruction (%FEV1/forced vital capacity [FVC] 55.3 +/- 8.1 vs 80.1 +/- 4.5), hyperinflation (residual volume 182.7 +/- 22.7 percent vs 109.7 +/- 8.8 percent of pred) hypoxemia (66.6 +/- 5.8 vs 83.4 +/- 4.2 mm Hg) and impaired carbon monoxide transfer (65.5 +/- 9.1 percent vs 93.3 +/- 5.8 percent). The features of acute or chronic RRI, the time from onset to diagnosis (< 10 yr in the entire group), the type of IgG deficiency or the serum concentration of the deficient protein did not correlate with substantial obstruction (FEV1/FVC < 70%). In conclusion, in adults with IgG deficiency and RRI for less than 10 yr, smokers with chronic bronchitis rather than nonsmokers develop substantial airway obstruction.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Viruses and bacteria in bronchial samples from patients with primary hypogammaglobulinemia.

Viruses and bacteria in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, protected specimen brush samples, and bronchial biopsies from 14 patients with primary hypogammaglobulinemia (11 patients with common variable immunodeficiency [CVID] and three patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia [XLA]) were analyzed. At the time of the study, the patients had no signs of acute respiratory infections, and no antibiotics were administered. In addition to routine bacterial and viral cultures, polymerase chain reaction tests were used for the detection of adenovirus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus 1, enterovirus, rhinovirus, Borrelia burgdorferi, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Legionella spp., Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Pneumocystis carinii, and Ureaplasma urealyticum. Viruses (four adenoviruses, one CMV, and one rhinovirus) were detected in four of the 11 (36%) CVID patients. No viruses were found in the three patients with XLA or in 13 control patients. Bacteria from the lower respiratory tract were detected in nine of the 14 (64%) patients with hypogammaglobulinemia and three of the 13 (23%) control patients. Haemophilus influenzae was the most prevalent bacterium (43%) in the hypogammaglobulinemia patients. The study shows that patients with CVID harbor viral and bacterial infections in the lower respiratory tract, which may predispose to the development of changes in the respiratory tract.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Semiquantitative evaluation of mRNAs for the membranous form of immunoglobulin heavy chain is useful for investigating the etiology in CVID.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a primary antibody deficiency syndrome characterized by defective B-cell maturation and antibody formation resulting in low serum antibody levels of all immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes. To investigate the pathogenesis of CVID, we developed a set of competitive polymerase chain reaction for membrane-bound Ig heavy chain (mHC) mRNAs for IgM, IgG and IgA. Data on three children with CVID in group A of Bryant's classification were analysed. All the three mHC mRNA levels in Patient 1 were almost same as those in healthy controls. In Patient 2, mHC mRNA for IgM was detected at a level similar to that in controls, but mHC mRNAs for IgG and IgA heavy chains were not detected. In Patient 3, all the three mHC mRNAs were undetectable. Our data suggest that a different molecular basis exists in these patients with CVID even though all belong to group A of Bryant's classification. Use of our method facilitates a better understanding of molecular events in CVID patients and may be useful for precise classifications of CVID.

Child↗

PubMed1999

In vivo modulation of cytokine synthesis by intravenous immunoglobulin.

We examined the effects of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) on cytokine regulation in vivo using samples taken before and after replacement-dose (200-400 mg/kg) IVIG in a group of patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and X-linked agammaglobulinaemia (XLA). The intracellular cytokine content of CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, and their CD28+/- subsets, were measured following in vitro activation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and ionomycin. The cytokines IL-2, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and the early activation marker CD69, were assessed by four-colour flow cytometry of whole blood cultures taken before and after IVIG infusion. There was a significant increase in IL-2 expression in CD4+ (and CD4+28-) cells and an increase in TNF-alpha expression in CD8+28- cells following IVIG in CVID, but not in XLA patients. IFN-gamma and CD69 expression were not affected by IVIG infusion. This increase in TNF-alpha and IL-2, combined with unchanged IFN-gamma expression, is evidence against the putative 'anti-inflammatory' role of IVIG, and may explain the failure of resolution of granulomata in CVID patients treated with IVIG alone.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Reduced IL-2 expression upon antigen stimulation is accompanied by deficient IL-9 gene expression in T cells of patients with CVID.

Patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) are heterogeneous in the clinical manifestation of the disease as well as in the underlying mechanisms leading to the immunodeficiency. In a previous study we identified a subgroup of patients with a primary immunodeficiency disease affecting IL-2 and IFN-gamma gene expression. The T cells of these patients revealed impaired proliferative response and reduced levels of IL-2 and IFN-gamma-specific mRNA after antigen stimulation in vitro, while cellular and molecular response to phorbol ester and the calcium ionophore ionomycin (PMA+IM) or anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) (OKT3) were comparable to those of healthy control individuals. Here we show that stimulation of these patients' T cells with tetanus toxoid (TT) resulted in dramatically reduced levels of IL-2, IL-9 and IFN-gamma mRNA, while IL-3 gene expression in three patients was comparable or even increased to the healthy controls. As expected, addition of exogenous IL-2 to tetanus toxoid pulsed cultures had virtually no effect on IL-2 transcription, but corrected the defect in IL-9 gene expression, while IFN-gamma mRNA levels were still reduced. In conclusion, these data suggest that recombinant IL-2 alone is not able to induce the IL-9 gene adequately in our patients, but clearly increases IL-9 mRNA levels in combination with tetanus toxoid.

Antigens↗

PubMed1998

Induction of unresponsiveness against IgA in IgA-deficient patients on subcutaneous immunoglobulin infusion therapy.

Patients with IgA deficiency often demonstrate circulating antibodies against IgA, which have been suggested to be associated with transfusion reactions. Sera from three patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and one with a selective IgA deficiency with anti-IgA antibodies receiving subcutaneous gammaglobulin replacement therapy were analysed for serum levels of IgG, IgA and anti-IgA before and during a treatment period of 4-7 years. Treatment with gammaglobulin preparations containing significant amounts of IgA (< 5 mg/ml) resulted in a decrease or disappearance of the anti-IgA antibodies. Analysis of serum fractions, however, revealed anti-IgA activity in the complex-containing fractions. In vitro experiments gave similar results with a shift of anti-IgA activity from the monomeric to the complex-containing fractions (that could not be detected in whole serum). When the patients were subsequently switched to treatment with a preparation containing less IgA (< 80 microg/ml) or made an interruption in the treatment schedule, the anti-IgA antibodies reappeared. Importantly, however, one of the patients lost his anti-IgA activity during a 3-month period on the preparation containing the higher IgA levels, and these antibodies did not reappear after switching to the low IgA-containing preparation. After 5 years on this preparation, anti-IgA can still not be detected, suggesting induction of unresponsiveness.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

X-linked lymphoproliferative disease: three atypical cases.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most frequently occurring primary immunodeficiency in both children and adults. The molecular basis of CVID has not been defined, and diagnosis involves exclusion of other molecularly defined disorders. X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP) is a rare disorder in which severe immunodysregulatory phenomena typically follow Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Boys who survive initial EBV infection have a high incidence of severe complications, including progressive immunodeficiency, aplastic anaemia, lymphoproliferative disease and lymphoma. Survival beyond the second decade is unusual, although bone marrow transplantation can be curative. Until recently reliable diagnostic testing for XLP has not been available, but the identification of the XLP gene, known as SH2D1A, and coding for a protein known as SAP, means that molecular diagnosis is now possible, both by protein expression assays, and mutation detection, although the mutation detection rate in several series is only 55-60%. We describe three male patients initially diagnosed as affected by CVID, one of whom developed fatal complications suggestive of XLP, and all of whom lack expression of SAP. Two out of three have disease-causing mutations in the SAP gene, consistent with published data for XLP. These findings raise the possibility that a subgroup of patients with CVID may be phenotypic variants of XLP. Further studies are necessary to investigate this possibility, and also to clarify the prognostic significance of SAP abnormalities in such patients in the absence of typical features of XLP.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Increased serum osteoprotegerin in disorders characterized by persistent immune activation or glucocorticoid excess--possible role in bone homeostasis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible role of osteoprotegerin (OPG) in bone metabolism in humans by measuring serum levels of OPG in five well-characterized patient populations with known or suspected pathology in bone homeostasis, but with differences in the pathogenesis of these disturbances. DESIGN: The study comprised 34 patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS), 24 acromegalic patients, 16 patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD), 29 HIV-infected patients, 25 patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVI) and 59 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (CTR). METHODS: Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, OPG, C-terminal telopeptides of Type-I collagen (CTX-I) and osteocalcin were determined in all study subjects as well as cortisol (CS and CTR) and IGF-I (acromegaly, GHD and CTR). RESULTS: OPG levels were significantly elevated in both CVI (median increase approximately 32%, P < 0.05) and HIV-infected patients with especially high levels in the latter group ( approximately 52%, P < 0.001), significantly correlated with increased TNFalpha levels (r = 0.47, P < 0.02). Also CS patients had elevated serum OPG ( approximately 24%, P < 0.01), significantly correlated with increased serum cortisol (r = 0.35, P < 0.05). In contrast, OPG levels in acromegalic and GHD patients were not different from healthy controls. No relationships were found between OPG levels and CTX-I or osteocalcin. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that enhanced OPG levels may be a compensatory response to enhanced osteoclast activity or negative bone remodeling balance in some conditions, but may also be a parameter of enhanced activity in the OPG system possibly correlated to enhanced activity of other members of the TNF family.

Acromegaly↗

PubMed1996

Lung Transplantation in patients with systemic diseases: an eleven-year experience at Papworth Hospital.

BACKGROUND: The presence of a systemic disease has traditionally been considered a contraindication to lung transplantation. METHODS: We present a retrospective review of 19 patients undergoing lung transplantation for end-stage pulmonary disease associated with a systemic illness since 1984. There were 11 male and 8 female patients, aged from 23 to 59 years (median 43 years) with end-stage pulmonary involvement by sarcoidosis (11 patients), Langerhan's cell histiocytosis (three patients), systemic vasculitis (four patients: three with systemic lupus erythrematosis, one with Churg-Strauss), and common variable immunodeficiency (one patient). Ten patients received a heart-lung transplant, and eight patients received a single lung transplant. One patient underwent single lung transplantation after an earlier heart-lung transplant. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality was 5.3%. Nine patients died overall. Two of these had systemic lupus erythrematosis with anticardiolipin antibodies and died from complications of their underlying vasculitis. The mean 1- and 2-year actuarial survivals for all patients were 71% (standard error +/- 10.8%) and 64% (standard error +/- 11.9%), respectively. All patients surviving longer than 3 months achieved an improvement in functional status to New York Heart Association class I or II, and a significant increase occurred in mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity. Disease recurrence without clinical significance occurred in two patients with sarcoidosis. Of the nine patients who died, seven had autopsies and none showed evidence of disease recurrence in the lungs. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with systemic diseases can be considered for lung transplantation and each case should be judged on its individual merits. However, patients with systemic lupus erythrematosis (particularly when associated with anticardiolipin antibodies) should probably not be offered lung transplantation because they are likely to develop further complications of their underlying vasculitis.

Actuarial Analysis↗

PubMed1999

Selective antipolysaccharide antibody deficiency associated with peripheral blood CD5+ B-cell predominance.

BACKGROUND: Primary humoral deficiencies vary from complete absence of B cells and/or serum immunoglobulin to lacunar deficits involving specific antibody responses to polysaccharides. OBJECTIVES: We compared the B-cell CD5 expression in patients with selective antipolysaccharide antibody deficiencies (SPADs), common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), and IgG subclass deficiency and in normal control subjects. METHODS: Five patient populations were evaluated: (1) patients with severe SPAD (no protective serologic postvaccine response to any of 12 polysaccharide antigens tested); (2) patients with intermediate SPAD (diminished response to polysaccharide antigens and adequate response to 1 to 3 of 12 serotypes tested); (3) patients with IgG subclass deficiency; (4) patients with CVID; and (5) age-matched control subjects. Blood was collected from all patients and evaluated by using flow cytometry. Results were compared by using the Student t test. RESULTS: Patients with severe SPAD deficiencies had a marked predominance of CD5+ B cells in the peripheral blood (93% to 97% of total B cells, n = 2). The intermediate SPAD group had a mean CD5+ B-cell percentage that was significantly higher than that of the age-matched control group (87. 4%, n = 7, vs 52.5%, n = 20; P =.007). Patients with CVID and IgG subclass deficiency had mean CD5+ B-cell percentages that were similar to those of the age-matched control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our studies demonstrate that patients with SPAD had a markedly increased percentage of CD5+ B cells in the peripheral blood as compared with age-matched control subjects and patients with other humoral deficiencies. This observation suggests that an association may be present between CD5+ B-cell predominance and SPAD.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

PubMed1995

Failure of IgG production due to a defect in the opening of the chromatin structure of I gamma 1 region in a patient with IgG and IgA deficiency.

Patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) display reduced levels of two or all three of the major immunoglobulin isotypes, and the deficiency is characterized by failure of B cells to differentiate into plasma cells in many cases. A patient (14 years old, female) showed normal serum IgM levels and low serum IgG and IgA levels, including low levels of all IgG subclasses. Northern blot analysis suggested that the patient's B cells may be defective at the immunoglobulin heavy chain isotype switch. The germ-line C gamma 1 transcript was amplified from cDNA of healthy controls by the addition of recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2) to pokeweed mitogen-stimulated peripheral mononuclear cells or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC)-stimulated IgM-producing lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) transformed by Epstein-Barr virus, while it was not amplified from cDNA of the patient. In the I gamma 1 region of LCL cultured with SAC plus rIL-2, the inner cytosine in the 5' C-C-G-G 3' sequence nearest the 3' site of the I gamma 1 region, at least, was not completely unmethylated in the patient. Moreover, the DNase I hypersensitive site was not induced in the patient's LCL by SAC plus rIL-2. These results indicate that the defects of the immunoglobulin heavy chain isotype switch in the patient's B cells are due to failure in the synthesis of germ-line C gamma transcripts, and this may be caused by defects in opening of the chromatin structures of specific switch regions.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2007

T and B lymphocyte subpopulations and activation/differentiation markers in patients with selective IgA deficiency.

Selective deficiency of immunoglobulin A (IgAD) and common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) are genetically closely related diseases, both of unknown pathogenesis. A plethora of abnormalities in lymphocyte subpopulations and expression of activation markers were repeatedly documented in CVID patients, while almost no data are available about lymphocyte subpopulations in IgAD patients. We determined basic lymphocyte subpopulations and those subpopulations that were reported to be abnormal in CVID patients (CD25, human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DR CD45RA, CD45RO, CD27, CD28 and CD29 on both CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells, CD57 and CD38 on CD8(+) cells, CD21, CD27, IgM, IgD on B lymphocytes) in 85 patients with IgAD, 47 patients with CVID and in 65 healthy controls. Statistical analysis was performed by the Mann-Whitney U-test; significant P-values were determined by means of Bonferoni's correction. Our results showed an increase in the relative number of CD8(+) cells and a decrease in the absolute number of CD4(+) cells compared to healthy people, but similar abnormalities in CVID patients were much more expressed. IgAD patients had significantly decreased expression of HLA-DR and increased expression of CD25 on CD4(+) lymphocytes, also CD29 expression was decreased on CD8(+) cells, while other activation/differentiation markers on T cells (including the expression of CD45RA and CD45RO antigens) were not changed. There were no statistically significant abnormalities in B lymphocyte developmental stages in IgAD patients compared to healthy controls. Our observation showed that the majority of T and B lymphocyte subpopulation abnormalities described previously in CVID are not present in IgAD patients.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Immunohistochemical assessment of hepatitis C virus antigen in cholestatic hepatitis after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Patients with common variable immunodeficiency may exhibit rapidly progressive hepatitis when infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), leading to cirrhosis and liver failure. Liver transplantation in these patients may result in a cholestatic form of HCV reinfection with exceptionally high virus loads. AIMS: To report an immunohistochemical investigation of the pretransplant and post-transplant liver of one such patient. METHODS/RESULTS: On immunohistochemical staining of frozen sections with anti-HCV core monoclonal antibody or fluorescein labelled human polyclonal anti-HCV IgG, no HCV antigens were demonstrated in the native cirrhotic liver removed at transplant, despite a viral load of 10(6.4) genomes/g. The transplanted liver, collected six weeks post-transplant, exhibited cholestatic recurrent hepatitis, had an HCV virus load of 10(10) genomes/g of liver, and revealed HCV antigen in the cytoplasm of most hepatocytes, with a pronounced periportal distribution. No virus antigen was demonstrable in other cell types. The core antigen was also detected in paraffin wax embedded, formaldehyde fixed tissue of this liver after high temperature antigen retrieval, but not in the native cirrhotic liver or a selection of HCV positive livers collected pretransplant from immunocompetent patients. Attempts to delineate the distribution of E1, NS3, and NS4 antigens were unsuccessful because monoclonal antibodies to these antigens produced "false positive" staining of foci of hepatocytes in the post-transplant livers of HCV seronegative patients with cholestasis. CONCLUSION: This case provided an opportunity to study the natural development of HCV during acute infection in the absence of an immune response, and may help to elucidate the pathogenesis of HCV recurrence in liver allografts.

Cholestasis, Intrahepatic↗