HEPATITIS-C VIRUS SEROTYPE-II RESPONDS MORE FAVORABLY TO INTERFERON-ALPHA THERAPY

To determine whether serological typing of hepatitis C virus correlated with the response to interferon-alpha therapy, hepatitis C Virus serotypes were determined by subtype-specific antibody to NS4 polypeptide by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 55 Japanese patients with chronic active hepatitis C who subsequently received recombinant interferon-alpha 2a therapy. Response to interferon-alpha was defined as complete and sustained (n=12), complete response followed by relapse (n=26), and no response (n=17). There was no difference in the clinical biochemical parameters between these patients groups. However, a higher proportion (50.0%) of patients with hepatitis C virus serotype II showed complete and sustained response to interferon-alpha, compared to serotype I (11.1%, p<0.01). These data indicate that this simple hepatitis C virus serotyping assay is a useful predictor of response to interferon-alpha therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. (C) Journal of Hepatology.