Immune system and hepatitis B virus infection

The immune system plays an important role in determining the outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This is because recovery from of acute HBV infection is associated with a clear division in the profile of adaptive immune response. Multispecific antiviral CD4 and CD8 responses with a type 1 cytokine production can be observed in patients who recover from acute HBV infection. On the other hand, those who develop chronic infection tend to have a weak virus specific T cell response. Therapeutic strategies aimed at correcting this defective T cell reactivity could represent a complementary approach to the cure of chronic HBV infection.