Acute hepatitis A virus infection is associated with a limited type I interferon response and persistence of intrahepatic viral RNA.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is an hepatotropic human picornavirus that is associated only with acute infection. Its pathogenesis is not well understood because there are few studies in animal models using modern methodologies. We characterized HAV infections in three chimpanzees, quantifying viral RNA by quantitative RT-PCR and examining critical aspects of the innate immune response including intrahepatic IFN-stimulated gene expression. We compared these infection profiles with similar studies of chimpanzees infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), an hepatotropic flavivirus that frequently causes persistent infection. Surprisingly, HAV-infected animals exhibited very limited induction of type I IFN-stimulated genes in the liver compared with chimpanzees with acute resolving HCV infection, desp

SUBMITTER: Lanford RE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3131353 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature