Complementary Role of HCV and HIV in T-Cell Activation and Exhaustion in HIV/HCV Coinfection

To investigate whether T-cell activation and exhaustion is linked to HCV- and HIV disease parameters in HIV/HCV infected individuals, we studied T-cell characteristics in HIV/HCV coinfected patients and controls. T-cells were analysed by flow cytometry and were related to HCV disease parameters (HCV-viremia, ALT and liver fibrosis). T-cells were found in patients with severe (F3–F4) liver fibrosis compared to those with no to minimal fibrosis (F0–F2). T-cells are associated with liver fibrosis in both HCV monoinfected and HIV/HCV coinfected patients