Impact of HBsAg and HBcrAg levels on phenotype and function of HBV-specific T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Objective: Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific T cells are main effector cells in the control of HBV infection and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is suggested to be a critical factor in the impaired immune response, a hallmark of chronic HBV infection. In addition to HBsAg, other viral markers such as hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) are available, but their potential association with HBV-specific immune responses is not defined yet, which will be important if these markers are used for patient stratification for novel therapies aimed at functional HBV cure.

Design: We analysed T cell responses in 92 patients with hepatitis B e antigen negative chronic HBV infection with different HBsAg and HBcrAg levels.

MAIT Cells Are Enriched and Highly Functional in Ascites of Patients With Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis.

Background And Aims: Patients with advanced liver cirrhosis have an increased susceptibility to infections. As part of the cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction, mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, which have the capacity to respond to bacteria, are severely diminished in circulation and liver tissue. However, MAIT cell presence and function in the peritoneal cavity, a common anatomical site for infections in cirrhosis, remain elusive.