CD8+ cell responses to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the liver of persons with HCV-HIV coinfection versus HCV monoinfection.
OBJECTIVE
Cellular immune responses are difficult to detect in the peripheral blood of persons with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We sought to determine whether T cell responses were present in the liver of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HCV coinfection.


METHODS
T cells were expanded from liver-biopsy samples from 10 patients coinfected with HIV and HCV (median CD4(+) cell count, 456 cells/mm(3)) and 8 patients infected with HCV alone. CD8(+) cell responses were detected by use of a modified enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay with recombinant vaccinia virus, and CD4(+) cell responses were detected by use of ELISpot with recombinant HCV proteins core, nonstructural (NS) 3, and NS5.


RESULTS
Intrahepatic CD8(+) cell responses to HCV were detected in 7 of 10 patients coinfected with HCV and HIV (median frequency, 638 spot-forming cells [sfc]/1 x 10(6) cells) and were similar to those observed in patients singly infected with HCV (7/8; median, 647 sfc/1 x 10(6) cells). Intrahepatic HCV-specific CD4(+) cell responses were also comparable in both groups and correlated with the intrahepatic CD8(+) cell responses (r=0.59; P=.03).


CONCLUSIONS
HCV-specific CD8(+) cell responses are present in the liver of persons with chronic HCV infection even when they are coinfected with HIV; these correlate with intrahepatic HCV-specific CD4(+) cell responses.
Alatrakchi
Nadia
N
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. nalatrak@bidmc.harvard.edu
Graham
Camilla S
CS
He
Qi
Q
Sherman
Kenneth E
KE
Koziel
Margaret James
MJ
D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D007371:Interferon-gamma