Oumamima Stambouli
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) was found as the causative agent of the Non-A, Non-B Hepatitis (NANBH) in 1989. HCV is an enveloped RNA virus that could be classified into six genotypes. The major host cell supporting HCV replication is the human hepatocyte. HCV is primarily transmitted by exposure to contaminated blood. HCV exists in host blood as quasispecies, a population of dynamic strains closely related to each other. Hepatitis C patients may have decreased appetite, abdominal pain, jaundice, fatigue and flu-like symptoms, or could be asymptomatic. Acute infection refers to the first six months of HCV infection, while more than 75% of patients develop chronic Hepatitis in the natural course of HCV infection. The interactions between host immune responses and virus immune evasion determine the outcome of HCV infection. The base of the current standard therapy of HCV is pegylated interferon and ribavirin, the usage of which is restricted due to its side effects. No HCV vaccine is currently available in clinics. However, recent research has shown that a single strain of HCV could elicit broad cross-neutralizing antibodies against all known major genotypes of HCV, and provides considerable encouragement for HCV vaccine developement.
Read this work at the World Public Library (library card needed).