Hepatic immunopathology during occult hepacivirus re-infection.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
Despite drug advances for Hepatitis C virus (HCV), re-infections remain prevalent in high-risk populations. Unfortunately, the role of preexisting viral immunity and how it modulates re-infection is unclear. GBV-B infection of common marmosets is a useful model to study tissue immune responses in hepacivirus infections, and in this study we re-challenged 4 animals after clearance of primary viremia. Although only low-to-absent viremia was observed following re-challenge, GBV-B viral RNA was detectable in liver, confirming re-infection. Microscopic hepatic lesions indicated severe-to-mild lymphocyte infiltration and fibrosis in 3 out of 4 animals. Further, GBV-B-specific T cells were elevated in animals with moderate-to-severe hepatopathology, and up to 3-fold increases in myeloid dendritic and activated natural killer cells were observed after infection. Our data indicate that occult hepacivirus re-infections occur and that new liver pathology is possible even in the presence of anti-hepacivirus T cells and in the absence of high viremia.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Manickam, C; Martinot, AJ; Jones, RA; Varner, V; Reeves, RK
Published Date
- December 2017
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 512 /
Start / End Page
- 48 - 55
PubMed ID
- 28915405
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC5653381
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1096-0341
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1016/j.virol.2017.08.037
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States