Immune System & Hepatitis B virus

Purpose of Review: Hepatitis B virus infection and the immune response in babies and adults. Findings: The presence of MDSC in new-borns makes Hepatitis B chronic over years with both antigens present in the blood, HBs and HBe. The immune system is not able to recognize the infection in the first years of life, which represents the stage of immunotolerance. The expansion of MDSC allows the immune system to maintain the infection with Hepatitis B, although the patient reaches adult age, because MDSC is responsible for the disfunction of the immune system and not the virus itself. Summary: MDSC is responsible for chronic Hepatitis B infection. The expansion of MDSC is the format in which hepatitis B manage to escape the immune system’s response. MDSC cells have the ability to interact with these signals generated by common progenitor lymphoid cells and in this way the immune system cannot exercise its function.SSSS Keywords: Hepatitis B; MDSC; Immune system; Antigen HBe

Author(s): Cosmin Constantin Oprea

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