Strong Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)–specific Cell-mediated Immune Responses in the Absence of Viremia or Antibodies Among Uninfected Siblings of HCV Chronically Infected Children

Abstract

Strong HCV-specific CD4(+) T cell responses were detectable in higher frequency among seronegative, aviremic children compared with persistently infected siblings. Further studies are needed to determine whether these immune responses are protective against HCV infection.