Hepatitis C virus infection from the perspective of heterologous immunity

- Heterologous infections can impact the outcome of HCV infection.
- HCV infection can influence the outcome of heterologous virus infections.
- Mechanisms are polarization of TH1/TH2, induction of cytokines and T cell cross-reactivity.

Heterologous immunity can impact the natural course of subsequent infections by different mechanisms such as polarization of TH1/TH2 responses, induction of cytokines and T cell cross-reactivity. In the case of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, heterologous immunity helps to explain the high variability in clinical outcomes. This review discusses how other infections can alter the natural course of hepatitis C and how HCV infection influence unrelated infections.