Human pegivirus viremia in HCV/HIV co-infected patients: Direct acting antivirals exert anti-pegivirus effects

•Human pegivirus (HPgV) prevalence is high (26%) among HIV/HCV co-infected persons.•Direct acting antiviral agents for HCV treatment is associated with supressed HPgV viremia. Human pegivirus (HPgV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that is closely related to hepatitis C virus (HCV). HPgV has also be...

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Published in:	Journal of clinical virology Vol. 162; p. 105445
Main Authors:	Hlavay, B.A., Zhuo, R., Ogando, N., Charlton, C., Stapleton, J.T., Klein, M.B., Power, C.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-05-2023
Subjects:	Antiviral Agents - pharmacology Coinfection - drug therapy Direct acting antiviral therapy Droplet digital PCR Female HCV Hepacivirus - genetics Hepatitis C - complications Hepatitis C - drug therapy Hepatitis C - epidemiology Hepatitis C, Chronic - complications Hepatitis C, Chronic - drug therapy HIV HIV - genetics HIV Infections - complications HIV Infections - drug therapy Human pegivirus Humans Interferons - pharmacology Interferons - therapeutic use Male Pegivirus - genetics Polyethylene Glycols - pharmacology Polyethylene Glycols - therapeutic use RNA, Viral - genetics Sofosbuvir - therapeutic use Viremia - drug therapy DAA MSM ESLD PWID Droplet digital PCR SOF SVR PMN ddPCR HIV Direct acting antiviral therapy pIFN Human pegivirus HPgV APRI HCV TEL VEL RT-qPCR LDV
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Summary:	•Human pegivirus (HPgV) prevalence is high (26%) among HIV/HCV co-infected persons.•Direct acting antiviral agents for HCV treatment is associated with supressed HPgV viremia. Human pegivirus (HPgV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that is closely related to hepatitis C virus (HCV). HPgV has also been shown to infect patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The mechanisms and disease outcomes of HPgV infections are largely unknown, although it has been implicated in both cancer and neurological diseases. There are no established therapies for HPgV. To estimate the prevalence of HPgV in a cohort of HCV/HIV co-infected patients undergoing treatment for HCV with direct acting antivirals (DAA) and investigate the effect of DAA therapy on HPgV infection. RNA was extracted from plasma samples collected at time points before, during, and after DAA. HPgV RNA abundance was quantified by droplet digital PCR assays targeting the NS5A and 5′UTR domains and confirmed by RT-qPCR. Clinical, demographic and treatment data were analysed. HPgV RNA was detected and quantified in 26 of 100 patients’ plasma (26%) before starting DAA. Patients with detectable HPgV were more likely to be male, had higher peak HIV plasma levels, and a history of injection drug use. Patients receiving sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (n = 9) displayed significantly lower HPgV levels at time of DAA completion and had lower post-DAA HPgV rebound levels compared to patients receiving sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (n = 11) although both regimens significantly reduced viremia directly following DAA completion. Sustained suppression of HPgV was also observed among patients (n = 2) receiving pegylated-interferon. HPgV RNA was frequently detected in HCV/HIV co-infected patients and was supressed by DAA and pegylated interferon therapies with sofosbuvir-ledipasvir showing greatest antiviral activity. These findings suggest potential treatment strategies for HPgV infections.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1386-6532 1873-5967
DOI:	10.1016/j.jcv.2023.105445