Spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus after liver transplantation in two patients coinfected with hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus

Abstract

Spontaneous resolution of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is exceedingly rare and poorly understood. As HCV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have shared routes of transmission, HCV coinfection is estimated to affect 15%-30% of the HIV-positive population. We report 2 patients with HCV-HIV coinfection who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation at our center and had spontaneous clearance of their chronic HCV infection after transplantation without any anti-HCV treatment. Both patients showed no evidence of HCV recurrence for more than 3 years despite long-term immunosuppressant therapy. Spontaneous clearance of chronic HCV infection can occur in HIV-HCV-coinfected patients after liver transplantation. The mechanism of this phenomenon remains unclear.