Natural killer cells display impaired responses to toll like receptor 9 that support viral persistence in chronic hepatitis B

- CHB is associated with impaired NK cell IFN-γ production in response to TLR9 stimulation.
- This impairment appears to be mediated through IFN-alpha mediated pathways.
- NK cells maintained the capacity for activation in response to TLR9 in CHB.
- The majority of the CHB associated changes involved the CD56dim subset of NK cells.