Antibody-dependent enhancement of hepatitis C virus infection.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) often causes a persistent infection associated with hypergammaglobulinemia, high levels of antiviral antibody and circulating immune complexes, and immune complex disease. We previously reported that only a limited neutralizing activity to vesicular stomatitis virus or HCV pseudotype is generated in animals immunized with recombinant HCV envelope proteins and chronically infected HCV patient sera. Interestingly, when some of these neutralizing sera were diluted into a range of concentrations below those that reduced virus plaque number, an increase in pseudotype plaque formation was observed. Purified HCV E2-specific human monoclonal antibodies were used to further verify the specificity of this enhancement, and one- to twofold increases were apparent on permissive

SUBMITTER: Meyer K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2258956 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature