Correlation of Hepatitis C Antibody Levels in Gingival Crevicular Fluid and Saliva of Hepatitis C Seropositive Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Search for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in body fluids other than blood is important when assessing possible nonparenteral routes of viral transmission. However, the role of oral fluids in HCV transmission remains controversial. Our aim was to compare the prevalence of HCV antibody (HCV Ab) levels in saliva, and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of HCV seropositive hemodialysis patients. Serum, saliva and GCF samples were collected from thirty-nine patients. Samples were analyzed for HCV Ab using the Ortho HCV 3.0 SAVe enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). HCH Ab levels in saliva and GCF of all HCV-seropositive patients were statistically compared. Reported here are the results of the study designed to determine the correlation between HCV-RNA positivity in serum and the detection of antibodies in GCF and saliva. One hundred percent (100%) of the 39 patients have antibodies to HCV in their serum, 15.4% have antibodies to HCV in GCF, and saliva found out. HCV Ab seropositivity in GCF and saliva was significantly correlated (kappa = 0.462; P < .001). This study supports the concept that GCF may be a significant source of HCV in saliva.

Correlation between salivary anti‐HCV antibodies and HCV RNA in saliva and salivary glands of patients with chronic hepatitis C

“…This must be taken into account as the detection of anti‐HCV antibodies, but not the HCV RNA, may indicate a previously resolved infection . Interestingly, the both previous studies in which all patients had anti‐HCV antibodies and HCV RNA in serum were exactly the ones reporting the lowest sensitivity of anti‐HCV antibodies in saliva and crevicular fluid, with indexes varying from 12.8% to 46.3% , in spite of different kits used.…”

“…Considering that salivary IgG and IgM derive mainly from gingival crevicular fluid, it can be speculated that this fluid would provide better results for detection of anti‐HCV IgG antibodies than whole saliva . Contrarily, in a recently published study, similar detection rates of anti‐HCV IgG antibodies were found in gingival crevicular fluid and saliva from patients with confirmed hepatitis C .…”

“…Our results showed an overall low index (26.1%) for detection of anti‐HCV antibodies in saliva. Most of the previous studies that have investigated the presence of anti‐HCV antibodies in saliva reported sensitivity indexes from 71% to 100% . Of relevance, a great variability on methodologies can be found among those studies (Table ).…”

“…Some studies have been performed to detect anti‐HCV antibodies in saliva with quite variable methods . The majority of them reported encouraging results, with sensitivity varying from 71% to 100%, and specificity from 86% to 100%.…”

Periodontal Implications of Hepatitis C Infection

“…During inflammation, the quantity of secreted gingival fluid is increased. In addition, inflamed gums bleed easily, facilitating the transfer of the HCV virus into the oral fluids such as saliva and gingival fluid [53,54]. The infectious potential of these fluids is still debatable and requires further research.…”