Hepatit B Infection and the Host Response

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) induce various acute liver disease ranging from subclinical to fulminant hepatitis and such chronic diseases as inactive persistent hepatitis, active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The immune response to HBV-encoded antigens is responsible both for clearence and for disease pathogenesis during viral hepatitis B infection. Although, cell-mediated immunity may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B infection, causes of this variability are not yet elucidated completely. The mechanisms of the fulmination and how the HBV escapes immunologic surveillance and persists in chronic HBsAg carriers, remains unclear. In the present article, the possible mechanisms related to the host resonse to HBV infection are discussed briefly