IFNα therapy leads to naïve T-cell lymphocytopenia.

<p>(A) CD4⁺ (top panel) and CD8⁺ (bottom panel) naïve T-cell counts were quantified in peripheral blood cells from acutely HCV-infected (light grey symbols), chronically HCV-infected (black symbols) and HIV/HCV co-infected (white symbols) patients at study entry, as compared to healthy donors (HCV-, dark grey symbols). (B) Evolution of CD4⁺ (top panels) and CD8⁺ (bottom panels) naïve T-cell counts during the first 4 months of IFNα therapy in acutely HCV-infected (left panels), chronically HCV-infected (central panels) and HIV/HCV co-infected (right panels) patients. Each line represents data from an individual patient. Statistical significances of the differences to baseline values (time 0), calculated on the absolute naïve T-cell counts in each individual sample, (Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test) are shown on top. The horizontal bars represent median values.