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Viral hepatitis

Subinfectious HCV exposure

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 11, page 4 (2014)Cite this article

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Clearance of acute HCV infection with systemic viraemia can result in T-cell-based immune protection upon reinfection. HCV-specific T-cell responses have also been detected in some individuals without any history of acute HCV infection despite frequent exposure; it has been suggested that these low-level exposures confer T-cell-mediated resistance to infection. Barbara Rehermann and colleagues thus set out to study this hypothesis.

The researchers used chimpanzees in their investigation as this in vivo model most closely represents HCV infection in humans. “We repeatedly exposed chimpanzees to human plasma with trace amounts of HCV,” explains Rehermann. “The chimpanzees developed HCV-specific T-cell responses but no quantifiable viraemia or seroconversion.” These chimpanzees were then exposed to a standard HCV challenge to examine whether these T-cell responses conferred immune protection. Interestingly, the opposite was found. The chimpanzees did not mount a memory response and de novo T-cell responses were suppressed both in the blood and in the liver. Moreover, an expansion in the number of regulatory T cells (TREG cells) was observed. By contrast, chimpanzees that had previously cleared an acute HCV infection were able to rapidly clear a second HCV challenge.

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References

  1. Park, S.-H. et al. Subinfectious hepatitis C virus exposures suppress T cell responses against subsequent acute infection. Nat. Med. 10.1038/nm.3408

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Authors
  1. Isobel Leake
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Leake, I. Subinfectious HCV exposure. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 11, 4 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2013.235

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2013.235

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