title: Evidence for activation of cellular immune responses in patients with acute hepatitis E.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although acute hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is known to induce IgM and IgG humoral host immune responses, little is known about occurrence of cellular responses in this infection. We looked for evidence of lymphocyte sensitization to HEV peptides in patients with acute HEV infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  peripheral blood lymphocytes were obtained from patients with acute hepatitis E and healthy controls. Proliferation of these lymphocytes in the presence of each of seven peptides with amino acid sequences corresponding to open reading frames 2 and 3 proteins of HEV (3 and 4 peptides, respectively) were studied; no peptide was added to control wells. Proliferative responses with stimulation indices exceeding 3.0 were taken as positive.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More patients showed reactivity to two or more HEV peptides than did controls (11/21 vs 5/22, p<0.05). Reactivity to one peptide corresponding to open reading frame 2 of HEV was more frequent in patients than in controls (7/21 vs 1/22, p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that lymphocytes of patients with acute hepatitis E show sensitization to HEV peptides. This may have significance in understanding the pathogenetic mechanisms of liver injury in this infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow. sitanaik@sgpgi.ac.in
authors.forename: Sita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.forename: Subhash R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.forename: Sunita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dwivedi
authors.forename: Sudha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Talwar
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Tyagi
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Duhan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coursaget
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male