HIV-Protective Gene May Boost Hepatitis C Infection

Patients with a gene variation that protects them from HIV infection may be more prone to developing hepatitis C, German researchers report in the June issue of Gastroenterology (2002;122:1721-1728). Many people with hepatitis C -- a virus transmitted through infected blood -- may be unaware of the infection and remain symptom-free for years, although some eventually develop cirrhosis of the liver.

The HIV-protective gene variant is called CCR5-delta 32. To investigate whether the variant plays a role in infection with other viruses, Dr. Rainer P. Woitas and colleagues from the University of Bonn screened 153 hepatitis C (HCV)-infected patients, 102 HIV-infected patients, 130 patients with both HCV and HIV infection, and 102 healthy individuals for CCR5-delta 32. Twelve HCV-infected patients and one healthy study participant had two copies of the mutated gene, but none of the HIV-infected patients or HCV/HIV-infected patients did. People with HCV infection were also more likely to have at least one copy of CCR5-delta 21 than those who were free of the virus.

Three times as many HCV-infected patients carried two copies of the mutated gene than would have been expected. And patients with two CCR5-delta 32 mutations who had hepatitis C carried more of the virus than HCV-infected people with two normal versions of the gene. Further studies are needed to determine why a mutation that protects against HIV infection appears to make it easier for hepatitis C virus to take over, the authors said.

"Such research might have considerable practical consequences, because CCR5 inhibitors are currently being developed for the treatment of HIV disease," the researchers point out. "Possible adverse effects of CCR5 inhibitors on other viral infections such as HCV, which are frequently associated with HIV infection, must be considered carefully."

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