Lack of Protective Immunity Against Reinfection with Hepatitis C Virus

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 258; no. 5079; pp. 135 - 140
• Main Authors: Farci, Patrizia, Alter, Harvey J., Govindarajan, Sugantha, Wong, Doris C., Engle, Ronald, Lesniewski, Richard R., Mushahwar, Isa K., Desai, Suresh M., Miller, Roger H., Ogata, Norio, Purcell, Robert H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 02-10-1992; American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Aged; Alanine Transaminase - biosynthesis; Animals; Antibodies; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hepacivirus - physiology; Hepatitis; Hepatitis Antibodies - biosynthesis; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C - immunology; Hepatitis C Antibodies; hepatitis C virus; Humans; Immunity; Immunity (Physiology); Immunity, Active; Infections; Inoculation; Liver; Longitudinal Studies; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Pan troglodytes; Physiological aspects; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reinfection; RNA; Sequence Homology; Transcription, Genetic; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Viremia; Virology; Virus Replication; Viruses; Infection; Virus; Human; Immunoprotection; Viral disease; Deficiency; Vaccination; Vaccine; Reinfection; Hepatitis C virus; Viral hepatitis C
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1279801

Some individuals infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) experience multiple episodes of acute hepatitis. It is unclear whether these episodes are due to reinfection with HCV or to reactivation of the original virus infection. Markers of viral replication and host immunity were studied in five chimpanzees sequentially inoculated over a period of 3 years with different HCV strains of proven infectivity. Each rechallenge of a convalescent chimpanzee with the same or a different HCV strain resulted in the reappearance of viremia, which was due to infection with the subsequent challenge virus. The evidence indicates that HCV infection does not elicit protective immunity against reinfection with homologous or heterologous strains, which raises concerns for the development of effective vaccines against HCV.