Phenotypic Characterization of Lymphocytes in HCV/HIV Co-infected Patients
Barbara Roe, Suzie Coughlan, Jonathan Dean, John S. Lambert, Shay Keating, Suzanne Norris, Colm Bergin, William W. Hall Viral Immunology. February 2009, 22(1): 39-48.
While hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific immune responses are attenuated in HCV/HIV co-infected patients compared to those infected with HCV alone, the reasons for this remain unclear.
In this study, the proportions of regulatory, native, and memory T cells, along with chemokine receptor expression, were measured in co-infected and mono-infected patients to determine if there is an alteration in the phenotypic profile of lymphocytes
in these patients.
The findings of this study provide new information on the T-cell immunophenotype
in HCV/HIV co-infected patients when compared to those infected with HCV alone, and may provide insight into why cell-mediated immune responses are diminished during HCV infection.
