Hepatitis C Virus in Neutrophil Granulocyte Progenitor Cells
Hepatitis C Virus in Neutrophil Granulocyte Progenitor Cells
Patients with hepatitis C show impaired neutrophil function. It is not known whether this is
 a direct of an indirect phenomenon. Using bone marrow biopsies from patients with hepatitis C
 it is possible to see whether neutrophil granulocyte progenitors are already infected with
 hepatitis C.
Neutrophil granulocytes are important components of the innate immune system and pioneers in
 the fight against both fungal and bacterial infections. If pathogens enter the body, they are
 marked as foreign by antibodies and the complement system. Afterwards receptors on the
 neutrophils recognize and bind on these foreign substances to make them harmless. This
 process is called phagocytosis. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and neutrophils are rarely
 associated. The HCV belongs to the Flaviviridae. It is a single-stranded, enveloped RNA virus
 with a positive polarity, which cause chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in approximately 170 million
 people worldwide. Subsequently, such an infection leads to liver cirrhosis and carcinoma in a
 significant proportion of patients. The virus infects mainly hepatocytes, but extrahepatic
 replication has also been shown. HCV usually enters the cell through receptor-mediated
 endocytosis (claudin-1, cluster of differentiation (CD)81, occludin and scavenger receptor
 1), before it abuses the cell's own infrastructure for the viral protein synthesis.

 The aim of this study is to determine neutrophil function in chronic hepatitis C infected
 patients. Furthermore the investigators want to examine if neutrophils or their precursor
 cells are infected with HCV and if this leads to their dysfunction.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  chronic hepatitis C

 -  Genotype 1-4

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  acute hepatitis C