Spontaneous recovery in acute human hepatitis C virus infection: functional T-cell thresholds and relative importance of CD4 help.

ABSTRACT: The mechanisms mediating protective immunity to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are incompletely understood because early infection in humans is rarely identified, particularly in those individuals who subsequently demonstrate spontaneous virus eradication. We have established a large national network of patients with acute HCV infection. Here, we comprehensively examined total HCV-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell responses and identified functional T-cell thresholds that predict recovery. Interestingly, we found that the presence of HCV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that can proliferate, exhibit cytotoxicity, and produce gamma interferon does not ensure recovery, but whether these CTLs were primed in the presence or absence of CD4(+) T-cell help (HCV-specific interleukin-2 pr

SUBMITTER: Smyk-Pearson S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2258714 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature