文档介绍：Hepatitis C Virus Disease
Emilio Jirillo
Editor
Hepatitis C Virus Disease
Immunobiology and Clinical Applications
Editor
Emilio Jirillo
University of Bari and
National Institute for Digestive Disease
Castellana Grotte, (Bari), Italy
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007932062
ISBN: 978-0-387-71375-5 e-ISBN: 978-0-387-71376-2
c 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
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Preface
Hepatits C virus (HCV) infection represents a worldwide disseminated disease, but
despite numerous studies, its pathogenesis and medical treatment have not been
completely elucidated.
As far as HCV pathogenesis is concerned, HCV genotypes and viral antigens
have been investigated with the aim to find a correlation with disease severity and
response to treatment. On the other hand, according to current literature, immuno-
logical response is implicated in disease progression rather than in host protec-
tion. Finally, use of interferon (IFN)-alpha alone or bination with other
antiviral drugs, ., ribavirin (RIB), at the moment represents the most effective
treatment in chronic HCV disease, even if the percentage of cured patients is still
low.
On these grounds, the present book, entitled Hepatis C Virus Disease: Immuno-
biology a