INTERRELATIONS BETWEEN IMMUNOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS AND VIRAL LOAD IN ACUTE HEPATITIS B

Abstract

Abstract. A group of seventy-six patients with acute viral hepatitis B (HB) was under study, in order to evaluate immunological parameters, and ability of blood mononuclear cells to produce cytokines, as dependent on individual viral loads. The immune parameters were less affected in cases of low viral load. Meanwhile, the immune profiles exhibited maximal alterations in the patients with medium and high viral loads. Most expressed changes of immune parameters are found in patients with moderate and high virus load. Meanwhile, moderate HB viral loads are associated with higher functional activity of B-cells and lower NK numbers, whereas high viral loads correlated with increased amounts of peripheral B cells and higher CD25+ lymphocyte levels. Increased background cytokine synthesis is revealed in mononuclear cells of the patients with acute HB, being, however, suppressed upon additional functional induction. An increased viral load is associated with decreased basal levels of TNFα synthesis. (Med. Immunol., 2011, vol. 13, N 2-3, pp 181-188)

Keywords

• hepatitis b
• immune profile
• interferon-γ
• tumor necrosis factor-α
• production levels