Protection by HLA-B27 in HCV infection: role of virological and immunological factors

B27 is a highly protective HLA allele in HCV infection. Indeed, 80% of B27+ Irish women with accidental HCV genotype 1b infection resolved the infection spontaneously while only 20% developed chronic infection (McKiernan et al., Hepatology 2004). We recently linked this protective effect of HLA-B27 as well as viral evolution within the few B27+ individuals who developed chronic infection to a single, immunodominant HLA-B27 restricted CD8+ T cell epitope within NS5B (Neumann-Haefelin et al., Hepatology 2006). In order to further define the mechanisms of protection mediated by this epitope, we analyzed the virolog…