On 2014 Aug 09, Seyed Moayed Alavian commented:

Occult HCV infection is a new entity and we need to more studies for better clarification the issue

Hepatitis C is an important etiology for chronic liver disease and it is the most common cause in chronic renal failure patients. Recently, occult HCV infection has described with the absence of HCV-RNA and anti-HCV antibodies in serum in the presence of genomic HCV-RNA in the liver biopsy specimen, in patients who suffer from cryptogenic liver diseases. Furthermore, about 70% of patients with occult HCV infection also have HCVRNA in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs); the genomic and the antigenomic HCVRNA have also been detected in these cells. The detection of antigenomic HCV-RNA strand in PBMCs of subjects with occult HCV infection can be supported the hypothesis that HCV is able to replicate in these cells. Patients on hemodialysis are at higher risk for HCV infection and HCV infection has a bad impact on survival of patients after renal transplantation. The anti-HCV antibody can be negative in these patients and in sometimes we have some cases that are negative for HCV infection before renal transplantation and after it, the HCV infection appears and may be some cases had occult HCV infection and after using the immunosuppressive drugs HCV will appear. I suggest to be more sensitive regarding the occult HCV infection in hemodialysis patients. Ref: Bokharaei-Salim F, Keyvani H, Monavari SH, Alavian SM, Madjd Z, Toosi MN, et al. Occult hepatitis C virus infection in Iranian patients with cryptogenic liver disease. J Med Virol. 2011;83(6):989-95

On 2014 Aug 09, Seyed Moayed Alavian commented:

Occult HCV infection is a new entity and we need to more studies for better clarification the issue

Hepatitis C is an important etiology for chronic liver disease and it is the most common cause in chronic renal failure patients. Recently, occult HCV infection has described with the absence of HCV-RNA and anti-HCV antibodies in serum in the presence of genomic HCV-RNA in the liver biopsy specimen, in patients who suffer from cryptogenic liver diseases. Furthermore, about 70% of patients with occult HCV infection also have HCVRNA in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs); the genomic and the antigenomic HCVRNA have also been detected in these cells. The detection of antigenomic HCV-RNA strand in PBMCs of subjects with occult HCV infection can be supported the hypothesis that HCV is able to replicate in these cells. Patients on hemodialysis are at higher risk for HCV infection and HCV infection has a bad impact on survival of patients after renal transplantation. The anti-HCV antibody can be negative in these patients and in sometimes we have some cases that are negative for HCV infection before renal transplantation and after it, the HCV infection appears and may be some cases had occult HCV infection and after using the immunosuppressive drugs HCV will appear. I suggest to be more sensitive regarding the occult HCV infection in hemodialysis patients. Ref: Bokharaei-Salim F, Keyvani H, Monavari SH, Alavian SM, Madjd Z, Toosi MN, et al. Occult hepatitis C virus infection in Iranian patients with cryptogenic liver disease. J Med Virol. 2011;83(6):989-95