4 The large degree of HCV genomic variation, the lack of protective immunity generated by HCV infection, and frequent opportunities for re-exposure through ongoing injection behaviors underpin the recognized occurrence of multiple HCV infections.5-10 Multiple infection is classified as either mixed infection (also sometimes referred to as coinfection), superinfection, and/or reinfection (see review by Blackard and Sherman11). Although multiple infection has been well studied for other viruses, relatively little is known about selleckchem multiple HCV infection. Primary HCV infection in chimpanzees
followed by re-exposure to viruses from either homologous or heterologous HCV strains has been reported to be associated with mild hepatitis and partial immune protection.12, 13 In humans, mixed HCV infection is generally transient, with evidence of replacement with the new strain or persistence of the primary strain.8,
14, 15 The reasons for the transient nature of mixed infection have yet to be elucidated but may relate to a more effective immune response against one virus (in contrast to the other),16 competition between the two viruses (with the fitter strain Wnt assay having an advantage),17 or a combination of these factors. There are limited data regarding the clinical associations of multiple infections. One cross-sectional study by Fujimura et al.10 of 96 HCV-infected patients with hemophilia reported higher alanine aminotransferase levels reflecting greater hepatocellular injury in nine patients (12%) who had mixed HCV genotypes. Another study by Kao et al.18 observed that mixed infection was more often associated with acute exacerbations during chronic hepatitis C infection than monotypic infection. The reported prevalence of multiple infection in HCV-infected
subjects ranges from 5% in a cohort of patients coinfected with HCV and human immunodeficiency virus19 to 39% in a cohort of IDUs.5 The high prevalence of multiple infection in IDUs and the association with high-risk behavior indicates that ongoing injection and needle sharing following primary infection can lead to subsequent acquisition of new HCV strains.5, 6, 20 Longitudinal studies to estimate the incidence of multiple infection include a small number of case series8-10, not 15 as well as prospective5-7, 21 and retrospective22, 23 analyses of stored samples. One of the retrospective studies within an IDU population reported a 1.8-fold higher incidence of reinfection (31/100 person-years; 95% confidence interval [CI] 17-62/100 person-years) compared with naïve infection (17/100 person-years; 95% CI 14-20/100 person years).22 In a recent IDU-based prospective study, the incidence rate of reinfection was 2.5-fold higher than primary infection and was associated with injection risk behavior.