title: Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific memory B-cell responses in transiently and chronically infected HIV positive individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antibody responses to hepatitis C virus (HCV) occur delayed and overly decline after viral clearance indicating that the B-cell response to HCV is abnormal. Virus-specific memory B-cells have recently been found in infected individuals, but the viral exposure requirements for the generation of these cells is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The primary goal of this study was to quantify and compare the HCV-specific memory B-cell response between chronic and resolved HCV-infected individuals. A secondary goal was to examine if HIV-specific memory B-cell responses are maintained during HCV co-infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  HCV core protein- and HIV-specific memory B-cell responses were examined in HIV/HCV-infected individuals treated 4-30 weeks after HCV diagnosis. Memory B-cell frequencies were compared between chronically and transiently infected individuals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chronically infected individuals had vigorous HCV-specific memory B-cell responses and antibodies, whereas subjects with transient viremia showed low or undetectable virus-specific B-cell responses. In addition, chronically HIV/HCV-infected subjects had robust HIV-specific memory B-cell responses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whereas chronic HCV infection induces virus-specific antibodies and memory B-cells, transient infection in individuals with sustained viral response to therapy does not stimulate a durable HCV-specific B-cell response indicating that the formation of long-lived virus-specific B-cells is suppressed in the early phase of infection. This may contribute to the inability to spontaneously clear HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, 04105 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reiche
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, 04105 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nestler
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, 04105 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sieg
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, 04105 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.affiliation: Medical Practice Dr. Cordes, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cordes
authors.affiliation: Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ivanka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Krznaric
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, 04105 Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: christian.jassoy@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jassoy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006678:HIV / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008297:Male; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C069130:nucleocapsid protein, Hepatitis C virus
keywords: HIV; Hepatitis C virus; Memory B-lymphocytes; Pathogenesis