Among patients infected with both HIV and HCV, the combination of peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin was significantly more effective than either interferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin or peginterferon alfa-2a monotherapy.

Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir is approved to treat hepatitis C virus genotype 1–6 infection. Patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 achieved high cure rates after 8- (without cirrhosis) and 12- (compensated cirrhosis) week treatment, without adjustments to antiretroviral therapy regimens.NCT02738138.

Functional hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific T cells are significantly diminished in individuals chronicallyinfected with HBV compared to individuals with self-limiting HBV infection or those on anti-HBV therapy. In individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), coinfection with HBV is associated with an increased risk of worsening liver function following antiviral therapy and of more rapid HBV disease progression. Total HBV-specific T-cell responses in subjects with diverse genetic backgrounds were characterized by using a library of 15-mer peptides overlapping by 11 amino acids and spanning all HBV proteins. The magnitude and breadth of CD4 ؉ and CD8 ؉ T-cell responses to HBV in peripheral blood were examined by flow cytometry to detect gamma interferon production following stimulation with HBV peptide pools. Chronic HBV carriers (n ‫؍‬ 34) were studied, including individuals never treated for HBV infection (n ‫؍‬ 7), HBV-infected individuals receiving anti-HBV therapy (n ‫؍‬ 13), and HIV-1-HBV-coinfected individuals receiving anti-HBV therapy (n ‫؍‬ 14). CD4؉ and CD8 ؉ HBV-specific T-cell responses were more frequently detected and the CD8 ؉ T-cell responses were of greater magnitude and breadth in subjects on anti-HBV treatment than in untreated chronic HBV carriers. There was a significant inverse correlation between detection of a HBVspecific T-cell response and HBV viral load. HBV-specific CD4؉ and CD8 ؉ T-cell responses were significantly (fivefold) reduced compared with HIV-specific responses. Although, the frequency and breadth of HBV-specific CD8 ؉ T-cell responses were comparable in the monoinfected and HIV-1-HBV-coinfected groups, HBV-specific CD4 ؉ T-cell responses were significantly reduced in HIV-1-HBV-coinfected individuals. Therefore, HIV-1 infection has a significant and specific effect on HBV-specific T-cell immunity.There are 350 million individuals chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) worldwide (36,42,59). Each year 1 million to 1.5 million carriers die from HBV-related liver disease and liver cancer such as hepatocellular carcinoma (36,48). In the United States, Europe, and Australia, approximately 6 to 7% of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) are also coinfected with HBV (23, 41). Liver disease is now a major comorbidity in HIV-1-infected individuals (11,66). Although hepatitis C virus (HCV)-HIV-1 coinfection is more common than HBV infection, liver failure occurs more frequently with persistent HBV infection (60, 63). Coinfection of HBV with HIV-1 leads to elevated HBV DNA levels, a lower rate of seroconversion to HBeAg, and lower alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels than those in HBV monoinfection (21, 31). Spontaneous flares and HBeAg seroconversion occur in 5% of HBV-monoinfected individuals; however, in the setting of HIV-1-HBV coinfection, spontaneous flares or seroconversion to HBeAg is rare (18). In individuals infected with HIV-1 who subsequently acquire HBV infection, there is an increased risk of persisten...