Lymphotropism of hepatitis B and C viruses: an update and a newcomer

Abstract

The mechanisms of viral persistence are complex and include infection of the lymphoid cells. In the case of hepatitis B virus, early observations have suggested that HBV may infect peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In animal models studies in chronic hepatitis B patients have further confirmed that viral DNA replicative intermediates, as well as viral transcripts and proteins, can be detected in PBMC under certain conditions. The consequences of this lymphotropism are not fully understood, but it seems likely that PBMC represent an extrahepatic reservoir of virus. The ability of hepatitis C virus to infect PBMC has been demonstrated in vivo and in vitro. The link between HCV lymphotropism and both the natural history of the viral infection and the immunological disorders frequently observed in HCV infections still needs to be established. In both cases, the infection of PBMC by HBV or HCV may represent the source of infection of the liver graft in patients transplanted for end-stage liver disease associated with HBV or HCV.

CD8+T Cell Depletion Amplifies Hepatitis C Virus Replication in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

“…Our data support the notion that HCV infects not only hepatic cells but also PBMCs, an extrahepatic target for HCV infection [38,39]. Both HCV positive-strand and negative-strand RNA were present in PBMCs [40].…”

Enlarged lymph nodes in porta hepatis: Sonographic sign of chronic hepatitis B and C infections

“…23 Likewise, the lymphotropism for HBV infection cannot be overlooked. 28 As a result, a detectable lymph node should suggest not only chronic HCV infection but also chronic HBV infection. On further analysis, we found a high positive predictive rate and high specificity for both viral infections when the node was wider than 5 mm.…”

Hepatitis C Virus Activates Bcl-2 and MMP-2 Expression through Multiple Cellular Signaling Pathways

“…It has been reported that HCV is able to infect not only hepatocytes but also PBMCs (37,54). Immediately after discovery of the virus in 1989, different groups showed that HCV replicates in lymphoid cells by infecting macrophages and B and T lymphocytes (8,24,58).…”