Persistence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Despite the Presence of Cross-neutralizing Antibodies in a Single-Source Outbreak of Hepatitis C

Background and aim: Antibodies with virus-neutralizing properties have been detected in acute and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, the role of antibodies for clearance or persistence of HCV is still elusive. Women accidentally infected with a single HCV strain (AD78) during Rhesus prophylaxis represent a unique cohort for evaluating the role of humoral response in HCV disease outcome. Retroviral HCV pseudotypes (HCVpp) are a novel model system allowing the study of antibody-mediated neutralization of HCV entry into hepatoma cells and hepatocytes. Thus, we used this in vitro system to evaluate…