New Challenges for Natural and Vaccine-Induced Immunity against HBV Infection

Dear Colleagues,

The availability of an effective vaccine against hepatitis B infection has produced a strong decline in the number of new cases of HBV-related hepatitis worldwide. However, the coverage of anti-HBV vaccination remains sub-optimal in many geographical areas, with the most relevant drop occurring in low-income countries. Accordingly, HBV infection remains an important public health problem, with over 250 million chronically infected patients worldwide.

It is worth noting that, despite the overall high efficacy of anti-HBV vaccination, a non-negligible (but not well-defined) ratio of persons are “non-responders” to the vaccine, failing to achieve a protective concentration of antibodies able to prevent HBV infection. This aspect could be particularly critical in special populations with impaired immune responses, such as patients with hematological malignancies or HIV infection. Overall, the rate of non-responders, the host factors predisposing to a reduced or lack of response to anti-HBV vaccination, and the long-term kinetics of anti-HBs antibodies remain poorly investigated.

Another potential pitfall of HBV vaccination, and more generally of immune control of HBV, is related to the circulation of viral strains, carrying mutations in the surface antigen (HBsAg), that have been demonstrated to alter the affinity of antibodies, both naturally produced by the immune system and induced by vaccination. The circulation of these variants deserves careful monitoring since they can be transmitted to vaccinated people or favor HBV reactivation events.

For this Special Issue, we welcome all original research papers, reviews, clinical cases, and methodological novelties able to shed new light on the immune response to HBV infection, including that induced by anti-HBV vaccination, and on the role of HBV genetic variability in modifying the ability of the immune system and vaccination to prevent/control HBV infection.

Dr. Romina Salpini
Assoc. Prof. Valentina Svicher
Dr. Olympia E Anastasiou
Guest Editors

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