Evidence for a relation between the viral load and genotype and hepatitis C virus-specific T cell responses.
OBJECTIVE
The reason why patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype non-1 infection respond better to antiviral therapy than patients with genotype 1 infection is not known. The aim of this study is to explore the relation between the viral genotype, viral load, and the endogenous T cell response.


METHODS
The viral genotype, the viral load, and the endogenous proliferative T cell response to the non-structural 3 protein (NS3) was analysed using serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 103 patients with chronic HCV infection.


RESULTS
Among 71 nontreated patients a T cell response was more common among those infected by genotype 3, as compared to those infected with genotype 1 (P<0.05). Among 32 patients undergoing antiviral therapy, presence of a T cell response was more common in genotype non-1 infected patients than in those infected by genotype 1 (P<0.01). Presence of a T cell response was related to a more rapid viral clearance (P<0,05), a negative HCV RNA test at week 12 (P<0.05), and a shorter viral half-life (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of an NS3-specific T cell response is related to the viral genotype and to a more rapid clearance of HCV RNA during antiviral therapy.
Hultgren
Catharina
C
Division of Clinical Virology, F68, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital, S-141 86 Huddinge, Sweden.
Desombere
Isabelle
I
Leroux-Roels
Geert
G
Quiroga
Juan A
JA
Carreno
Vincente
V
Nilsson
Bo
B
Weiland
Ola
O
Sällberg
Matti
M
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D019562:Viral Load
C110464:2-chloro-1-epicalcitriol; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral; D002117:Calcitriol