Acute hepatitis C: a multifaceted disease.
Although acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a rare disease and typically not associated with severe clinical symptoms, it has become a disease of significant interest for clinical investigators, virologists, and immunologists alike. In the same way that acute hepatitis C provided a window of opportunity for understanding the clinical and virological aspects of HCV infection as the field was being established, it is now clear that it can provide a window into further understanding the early interaction of the virus with the host immune response. The acute phase of infection is usually considered to be the first 6 months; however, rather than defining acute HCV by the time that has passed after initial infection, it can also be defined as the biological state in which spontaneous clearance is still possible.
Heller
Theo
T
Liver Diseases Branch, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Rehermann
Barbara
B
D000208:Acute Disease; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans