Interferon lambda, dendritic cells and Hepatitis C virus infection

Abstract

It is estimated that ~3% of the world's population is infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV), a hepatotropic virus which can lead to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Of those infected, ~20% clear the virus naturally whereas the majority develop chronic infection. Response to the current therapy, the important antiviral cytokine interferon alpha (IFN-a), also varies with response rates of less than 50% in some cohorts. The inter-individual variation in clinical outcome to HCV infection highlights the contribution of genetic variation to the host antiviral response to infection.