Renal Transplant Recipient with Chronic Hepatitis C Who Obtained Sustained Viral Response After Interferon-beta Therapy

A 44-year-old Japanese woman with a history of living-related renal transplantation was treated with interferon-beta (IFN-beta) for chronic infection with sero-group 2 hepatitis C virus (HCV). Serum HCV-RNA titer was 160 kilo-international units/ml. Treatment with intravenous IFN-beta daily was given for 6 weeks. Serum HCV-RNA was undetectable at 3 weeks after initiating therapy. Renal graft rejection did not occur. Six months after completing therapy, she obtained sustained viral response. This case demonstrates that IFN-beta therapy safely induced clearance of HCV in a renal transplant recipient with stable renal function, low viral load and/or HCV sero-group 2.