Authors: Michaela Lucas, Axel Ulsenheimer, Katja Pfafferot, Malte H.J. Heeg, Silvana Gaudieri, Norbert Grüner, Andri Rauch, J. Tilman Gerlach, Maria-Christina Jung, Reinhart Zachoval, Gerd R. Pape, Winfried Schraut, Teresa Santantonio, Hans Nitschko, Martin Obermeier, Rodney Phillips, Thomas J. Scriba, Nasser Semmo, Cheryl Day, Jonathan N. Weber, Sarah Fidler, Robert Thimme, Anita Haberstroh, Thomas F. Baumert, Paul Klenerman, Helmut M. Diepolder
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000649
Abstract Summary
New research reveals why some hepatitis C infections become chronic: virus-specific CD4+ T cells, crucial for immune defense, either lose function or are deleted early in patients who fail to clear the virus. Using advanced tetramer tracking, scientists found robust CD4+ responses initially present in all acute cases, but these critical helper cells disappeared before viral resurgence in chronic patients.
Why Brain? 🧠
CD4+ T cells targeting hepatitis C virus are induced in acute infection but become impaired or deleted in patients progressing to chronic disease, explaining loss of viral control.
The image is AI-generated for illustrative purposes only. Courtesy of Midjourney.
