Hepatitis C Virus-Specific Cytolytic T Lymphocyte and T Helper Cell Responses in Seronegative Persons

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a common infection worldwide, and in most persons, it leads to persistent viremia and liver damage. Efforts to identify the correlates of protective immunity are hampered by this high rate of persistent infection in both infected humans and the only animal model, the chimp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1997-10, Vol.176 (4), p.859-866
Main Authors: Koziel, Margaret James, Wong, David K. H., Dudley, Darryll, Houghton, Michael, Walker, Bruce D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antigens
Biological and medical sciences
Candida - immunology
Cell Division
Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic
Epitopes
Epitopes - immunology
Hepacivirus
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C - immunology
Hepatitis C Antigens - immunology
Histocompatibility Testing
HIV
HIV 1
HLA antigens
Human viral diseases
Humans
Infections
Infectious diseases
Laboratory Infection - immunology
Leukocytes, Mononuclear - immunology
Medical sciences
Peptides - chemical synthesis
Peptides - immunology
Recombinant Proteins - immunology
T lymphocytes
T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic - immunology
T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer - immunology
Tuberculin
Tumor Cells, Cultured
Viral diseases
Viral hepatitis
Viral Proteins - genetics
Viral Proteins - immunology
Viruses
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Summary:Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a common infection worldwide, and in most persons, it leads to persistent viremia and liver damage. Efforts to identify the correlates of protective immunity are hampered by this high rate of persistent infection in both infected humans and the only animal model, the chimpanzee. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from seronegative persons were stimulated with synthetic peptides that represent epitopes recognized by HCV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) after natural infection. In addition, CD4+ proliferative responses to recombinant HCV proteins were examined in these same persons. CTL responses directed against a peptide epitope of HCV and proliferative responses in 2 HCV-seronegative persons with possible occupational exposure to HCV were found. These otherwise healthy persons were not viremic, suggesting that they may have recovered from acute HCV infection. Characterization of virus-specific immune responses in exposed but seronegative persons may provide important clues as to the nature of protective immunity in HCV.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1086/516546