Production of infectious hepatitis C virus in tissue culture: a breakthrough for basic and applied research.

Abstract : Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of posttransfusion and community-acquired hepatitis in the world [1]. The majority of HCV-infected individuals develop chronic hepatitis that may progress to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Treatment options for chronic HCV infection are limited and a vaccine to prevent HCV infection is not available [1]. The development of efficient antivirals and a vaccine has been hampered by the lack of an efficient tissue culture model for HCV infection.