Title: Kupffer cell-dependent hepatitis occurs during influenza infection.

Authors: Polakos, Noelle K; Cornejo, Judith C; Murray, Debbie A; Wright, Kate O; Treanor, John J; Crispe, I Nicholas; Topham, David J; Pierce, Robert H

Published In Am J Pathol, (2006 Apr)

Abstract: Respiratory infections, including influenza in humans, are often accompanied by a hepatitis that is usually mild and self-limiting. The mechanism of this kind of liver damage is not well understood. In the present study, we show that influenza-associated hepatitis occurs due to the formation of inflammatory foci that include apoptotic hepatocytes, antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells, and Kupffer cells. Serum aminotransaminase levels were elevated, and both the histological and serum enzyme markers of hepatitis were increased in secondary influenza infection, consistent with a primary role for antigen-specific T cells in the pathogenesis. No virus could be detected in the liver, making this a pure example of "collateral damage" of the liver. Notably, removal of the Kupffer cells prevented the hepatitis. Such hepatic collateral damage may be a general consequence of expanding CD8(+) T-cell populations during many extrahepatic viral infections, yielding important implications for liver pathobiology.

PubMed ID: 16565492

MeSH Terms: No MeSH terms associated with this publication