The molecular mimicry and its possible role in origin of false-positive results in HCV-infection testing

Benkovskaya, L. K.; Ivanska, N. V.; Sergeyeva, T. A.

doi:10.7124/bc.000831

Biopolym. Cell. 2013; 29(5):406-412.

http://dx.doi.org/10.7124/bc.000831

Molecular Biomedicine

The molecular mimicry and its possible role in origin of false-positive results in HCV-infection testing

1Benkovskaya L. K., 1Ivanska N. V., 1Sergeyeva T. A.

Gromashevsky L.V. Institute of Epidemiology and Infection Diseases, NAMS of Ukraine
5, Amosova Str., Kyiv, Ukraine, 03038

Abstract

The main reason for the false positive results of the detection of antibodies to HCV is considered the unspecific binding of the blood serum immunoglobulins with the components of the test-systems’ immunosorbent, what is observed in various pathologies. When considering the issues of diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases examined the impact of antigenic heterogeneity and molecular mimicry. With regarding to hepatitis C this phenomenon more illustrated in terms of pathogenesis, autoimmune, extrahepatic lesions. This does not exclude the influence of antigenic mimicry on the specificity of serological tests for anti-HCV detection. Aim. Estimation the frequency of false-positive reactions of anti-HCV testing in patients with chronic somatic diseases and assessment of the antigenic mimicry’s role in their occurrence. Methods. Total anti-HCV, antibodies to the single viruses’ protein, and false positive sera antibodies’ interaction with microbial origin combinations (mimicrins) were determined by ELISA. Mimicrins were separated from the cultural medium after cultivation Staphylococcus aureus, Micobacterium tuberculosis and Candida albicans. Results. Upon detection of anti-HCV in patients with chronic pathologies detected a significant number of false-positive results are more likely in patients with diabetes and among healthy individuals – in pregnant women.The majorities of false positive sera interacted with mimicrins. Conclusions. The antigenic crossings over between mimicrins and antibodies in the structure of false positive sera must be considered during the evaluation of the specific diagnostics’ results in the persons with different pathologic states.

Keywords: hepatitis C, specific diagnostics, structural and non-structural protein’s antibodies to HCV, molecular mimicry

Full text: (PDF, in Ukrainian)

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