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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 7, Issue 7 (Suppl)
J Gastrointest Dig Syst
ISSN: 2161-069X JGDS, an open access journal
Gastroenterologists 2017
December 14-15, 2017
December 14-15, 2017 Dubai, UAE
11
th
World
Gastroenterologists Summit
Recent insights into immunity to hepatitis C virus
Zienab Nabil Ahmed Said
Al-Azhar University, Egypt
H
epatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still a major public health problem worldwide since its first identification in1989. HCV
infection was previously claimed to be post-transfusion infection, particularly in developing countries. Recently, due to
IV drug abuse, HCV infection became number one health problem in well-developed countries as well. The outcome of acute
HCV is determined by the interplay between the host genetics, the virus and the virus-specific immune response. A successful
clearance of HCV infection requires the coordinated action of innate immunity and acquired immunity, on the other hand,
chronic infection is characterized by the presence of functionally and phenotypically altered NK and T cell responses that are
unable to clear the virus but most likely contribute to the ongoing liver disease due to ineffective HCV-specific CD4+ and
CD8+ T cell responses. The virus has developed multiple strategies to escape host immune responses. These challenges have
to be taken into account for the design of efficient antiviral strategies. A thorough understanding of host-virus interactions is
a prerequisite for the rational design of a vaccine. An effective affordable preventive vaccine should be able to induce strong
neutralizing antibodies as well as powerful cellular immune responses to provide the best long-term goal for controlling the
HCV infection globally. Therapeutic vaccines may be used with DAAs and thus providing IFN-free treatment protocols.
znabil58@yahoo.comJ Gastrointest Dig Syst 2017, 7:7 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2161-069X-C1-062