Defining the mechanism of protection of the class 1 Allele HLA-A *03 in a single source outbreak of Hepatitis C Virus

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus infects approximately 180 million persons worldwide and results in serious liver disease. Significant obstacles have hindered efforts to design an effective vaccine; in particular these include the profound heterogeneity that exists with respect to viral and host factors. The study of a unique cohort provides an unparalleled opportunity to define and unravel the correlates of a protective immune response in HCV. This cohort is comprised of a group of Irish women who inadvertently received batches of contaminated anti-D immunoglobulin in the late 1970s and is defined by common ethnicity, female gender, known time of infection as well as the presence of a common inoculum.