Journal article
Cellular immune responses to HCV core increase and HCV RNA levels decrease during successful antiretroviral therapy
Gut, Vol.59(9), pp.1252-1258
2010
Abstract
Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of morbidity in HIV infected individuals. Coinfection with HIV is associated with diminished HCV-specific immune responses and higher HCV RNA levels. Aims To investigate whether long-term combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) restores HCV-specific T cell responses and improves the control of HCV replication. Methods: T cell responses were evaluated longitudinally in 80 HIV/HCV coinfected individuals by ex vivo interferon-γ-ELISpot responses to HCV core peptides, that predominantly stimulate CD4+ T cells. HCV RNA levels were assessed by real-time PCR in 114 individuals. Results: The proportion of individuals with detectable T cell responses to HCV core peptides was 19% before starting cART, 24% in the first year on cART and increased significantly to 45% and 49% after 33 and 70 months on cART (p=0.001). HCV-specific immune responses increased in individuals with chronic (+31%) and spontaneously cleared HCV infection (+30%). Median HCV RNA levels before starting cART were 6.5 log 10 IU/ml. During long-term cART, median HCV-RNA levels slightly decreased compared to pre-cART levels (-0.3 log10 IU/ml, p=0.02). Conclusions: Successful cART is associated with increasing cellular immune responses to HCV core peptides and with a slight long-term decrease in HCV RNA levels. These findings are in line with the favourable clinical effects of cART on the natural history of hepatitis C and with the current recommendation to start cART earlier in HCV/HIV coinfected individuals.
Details
- Title
- Cellular immune responses to HCV core increase and HCV RNA levels decrease during successful antiretroviral therapy
- Authors/Creators
- J. Rohrbach (Author/Creator)N. Robinson (Author/Creator)G. Harcourt (Author/Creator)E.L. Hammond (Author/Creator)S. Gaudieri (Author/Creator)M. Gorgievski (Author/Creator)A. Telenti (Author/Creator)O. Keiser (Author/Creator)H. F. Gunthard (Author/Creator)B. Hirschel (Author/Creator)M. Hoffmann (Author/Creator)E. Bernasconi (Author/Creator)M. Battegay (Author/Creator)H. Furrer (Author/Creator)P. Klenerman (Author/Creator)A. Rauch (Author/Creator). Swiss HIV Cohort Study (Author/Creator)
- Publication Details
- Gut, Vol.59(9), pp.1252-1258
- Publisher
- BMJ Publishing Group
- Identifiers
- 991005545404307891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Clinical Immunology and Biomedical Statistics
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 1 Clinical & Life Sciences
- 1.125 Hepatitis
- 1.125.83 HCV
- Web Of Science research areas
- Gastroenterology & Hepatology
- ESI research areas
- Clinical Medicine