ACUTE HEPATITUS C VIRUS INFECTION IN INJECTION DRUG USERS

这个子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和调查员(PI)可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可能会出现在其他CRISE条目中。列出的机构是针对中心的，而不一定是针对调查员的机构。具体目的：1.通过前瞻性观察临床和实验室特征、早期感染的病毒动力学、自发清除感染的比例和清除的时间，描述街头招募的活跃静脉吸毒者中急性丙型肝炎病毒感染的自然历史。2.研究急性丙型肝炎病毒感染时丙型肝炎病毒特异性细胞免疫应答的演变，包括丙型肝炎病毒特异性T细胞的表位特异性、前体频率、表型、细胞因子谱、增殖和细胞毒性。3.与病毒学事件平行研究丙型肝炎病毒特异性细胞免疫反应的动力学和功能，比较感染清除和进展为慢性感染的静脉吸毒者，以确定成功的丙型肝炎病毒免疫应答的特征。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Specific Aims: 1. To describe the natural history of acute HCV infection in street-recruited, active IDUs by prospectively observing the spectrum of clinical and laboratory features, the viral kinetics of early infection, the proportion who spontaneously clear infection, and the timing of clearance. 2. To characterize the evolution of HCV-specific cellular immune responses in acute HCV infection, including the HCV epitope specificity, precursor frequency, phenotype, cytokine profile, proliferation and cytotoxicity of HCV-specific T-cells. 3. To study the kinetics and function of HCV-specific cellular immune responses in parallel with the virologic events, comparing IDUs whose infection is cleared with those who progress to chronic infection, to determine the characteristics of a successful immune response to HCV.