HCV reinfection studies and the door to vaccine development

Impact of sampling frequency on perceptions of reinfection outcome. Hypothetical virological profiles in (A) a participant with initial spontaneous HCV clearance, several HCV reinfection events with reduced duration and peak HCV viremia and subsequent spontaneous clearance of reinfection in each instance; (B) a participant with initial spontaneous HCV clearance, several HCV reinfection events with similar duration and peak HCV viremia and subsequent spontaneous clearance of reinfection in each instance; and (C) a participant with spontaneous HCV clearance and HCV reinfection with persistent viremia. Solid lines indicate HCV RNA levels (light grey shading indicates persistent viremia). HCV RNA assessment time points are indicated by vertical dotted lines. Legends indicate the hypothetical frequency of HCV RNA testing (in weeks), the number of viremic events that would be identified with such a hypothetical HCV RNA testing frequency and the apparent outcome of infection based on the last available time point for that HCV RNA testing frequency.