title: Current knowledge and future perspectives on acute hepatitis C infection.
abstract: Acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are frequently seen worldwide in certain risk groups, with an annual incidence rate varying between 0.08% and 66%. Although this incidence is substantial, a delayed diagnosis during chronic infection is most often made in the absence of clinical symptoms in the acute phase of the infection. Currently used methods to diagnose acute HCV infection are IgG antibody seroconversion and repeated HCV RNA measurements, although no definitive diagnostic test is currently available. Progress in the field of adaptive and innate immune responses has aided both advances in the field of HCV vaccine development and a more basic understanding of viral persistence. The rapid changes in the treatment of chronic HCV infection will affect therapeutic regimens for acute HCV infection in the coming years, leading to shorter treatment courses and pegylated interferon-free modalities. This review gives an overview of the current knowledge and uncertainties, together with some future perspectives on acute hepatitis C epidemiology, virology, immunology, and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hullegie
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; The European Study Group of Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH), UK. Electronic address: j.e.arends@umcutrecht.nl.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Arends
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B J A
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Rijnders
authors.affiliation: The European Study Group of Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH), UK; NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Gastroenterology and the Liver, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Irving
authors.affiliation: The European Study Group of Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH), UK; Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salmon
authors.affiliation: Cluster Infectious Diseases, Department of Research, Public Health Service, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Infectious Diseases, CINIMA, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prins
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; The European Study Group of Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH), UK.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wensing
authors.affiliation: NDM and Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Klenerman
authors.affiliation: The European Study Group of Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH), UK; Department of Infectious Diseases, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leblebicioglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boesecke
authors.affiliation: The European Study Group of Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH), UK; Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Rockstroh
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; The European Study Group of Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH), UK.
authors.forename: A I M
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Hoepelman
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000639:trends; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014765:Viral Vaccines
keywords: Acute hepatitis C; epidemiology; immunology; treatment; virology