ICL 1.7: Hepatitis Viruses II Flashcards
which hepatitis viruses and transmitted parenteral?
Hepatitis B, C, D
what is the family, transmission, vaccine status and chronic potential of HepB?
hepadnaviridae
parenteral transmission
there is a vaccine!
it can be chronic and lead to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma
what is the family, transmission, vaccine status and chronic potential of HepC?
flaviviridae family = enveloped (+)ssRNA
parenteral transmission
no vaccine!
it can be chronic and lead to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma
what is the family, transmission, vaccine status and chronic potential of HepD?
virus-like agent, HBV co-infection
parenteral transmission
no vaccine!
can be chronic; it enhances HBV
how can parenteral transmission happen?
- transfusions
- hemodialysis (long term)
- needle sticks
- sexual and vertical transmission (exchange of bodily fluids)
what is the most common, chronic, blood-borne infection in the US?
HepC!
how is HepC different than other flaviviruses?
it’s NOT vector born!!
you don’t get it from mosquitos like most of the other flaviviruses we talked about
proteins are important for HepC?
HCAg = capsid protein
E and NS1 = viral envelope proteins
what are the clinical features of HepC?
HCV infection causes an acute hepatitis
so yes HepC can cause a chronic infection but you’re still going to have an initial acute infection before it establishes a chronic infection
it can lead to a chronic infection in 70% or more of cases**
it can have up to a 20 year latent period….
what are the characteristics of chronic HepC infections?
it can lead to a chronic infection in 70% or more of cases** – so a majority of those who get infected with HepC will also get chronic HepC
it can have up to a 20 year latent period….
HepC accounts for 45% of chronic hepatitis (all sources)
it’s the leading cause for liver transplants due to it causing cirrhosis or carcinoma
how does HepC remain chronic? which specific proteins are involved?
- NS5A protein
- NS3/4a protease
HCV proteins interfere with cell defenses and activation of T cell responses
these proteins block our antiviral response to stick around
this means that these proteins are great drug targets!
what does NS5A protein do?
HepC viral protein that interacts with cellular translation and blocks interferon signaling
what does NS3/4a protease do?
HepC viral protein that blocks the innate immune pathway that recognizes viral infections
this results in no activation of NFkB or IRF3, no interferon, and interferon stimulated genes activated, impaired T-cell activation and recruitment
what is the pathogenesis of HepC?
it’s a cytotoxic T cell response!
HLA class I-restricted cytotoxic T cells are probably responsible for most liver damage in HCV
which enzyme level is different in an acute vs. chronic HepC infection?
ALT!
in acute HepC infections there’s lots of active tissue damage so ALT levels are high
a chronic infection might not show high ALT levels because the virus isn’t replicating that much and there might not be that much cell damage
this tells you that liver enzymes aren’t the best marker for chronic infections
how do you diagnose HepC?
- index of suspicion (were you at risk?)
- screen for HepC antibodies
- RT-PCR to detect viral RNA
liver enzyme assays only monitor liver injury, are insensitive, nonspecific and too late
what would you do if someone was anti-HCV Ab positive vs. negative?
screening for anti-HCV antibodies is 92-95% sensitive so it’s a great test to see if someone has HepC
if someone is anti-HCV Ab negative then stop becuase they’re not infected (or it’s too early in the infection and they haven’t produced antibodies)
if someone is positive for anti-HCV antibodies then you should confirm this result by immunoblot and/or RNA assay
also do a medical evaluation for active infection and liver disease
how do you treat HepC?
well immune-globulin doesn’t work and vaccines are not available yet…
antibodies aren’t fully protective either as reinfections occur
your innate immune response is what’s important in HCV clearance
older treatments included α-IFN
why was IFN-α used to treat HepC?
we naturally produce IFN-α because it has natural antiviral properties!
however, it works best when combined with specific anti-virals that target viral enzymes to inhibit certain steps in the viral lifecycle
for example IFN-α + rabavirin lead to recovery in 5/10 people with genotype 1, and 8/10 for genotypes 2 and 3
what does ribavirin do?
it increases error by polymerase, creates lethal number of mutations
used in combination with IFN-α to treat HepC