Effect of immune pressure on hepatitis C virus evolution: insights from a single-source outbreak.

ABSTRACT:

Unlabelled

The host's immune response to hepatitis C virus (HCV) can result in the selection of characteristic mutations (adaptations) that enable the virus to escape this response. The ability of the virus to mutate at these sites is dependent on the incoming virus, the fitness cost incurred by the mutation, and the benefit to the virus in escaping the response. Studies examining viral adaptation in chronic HCV infection have shown that these characteristic immune escape mutations can be observed at the population level as human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-specific viral polymorphisms. We examined 63 individuals with chronic HCV infection who were infected from a single HCV genotype 1b source. Our aim was to determine the extent to which the host's immune pressure affects HCV diversit

SUBMITTER: Merani S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3044208 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature