Chronic HCV infection promotes cytotoxicity in antigen-specific CD8 + T cells regardless of virus specificity.

Altogether, our findings suggest that cHCV infection promotes cytotoxicity in CD8 T cells regardless of virus specificity. The immunological changes caused by cHCV infection in CD8 T cells may contribute to worsening the ongoing hepatic damage caused by HCV infection or exacerbate the immune response to possible co-infections. Our data provide a resource to groups exploring the underlying mechanisms of HCV-specific T cell spontaneous and treatment-induced resolution to inform the development of effective vaccines against HCV infection.