Systems for hepatitis C virus culture

Hepatitis C virus pathogenesis and cycle are difficult to study because of the lack of culture system able to replicate efficiently the virus. Further more such a system will permit screen new antiviral drugs. Studies were rea lized to select cell culture system able to allow hepatitis C virus replica tion. Primary cell cultures and cell lines were used to performed HCV cultu re. Most of these works used lymphocyte and hepatocyte primary cultures or cell lines because of HCV tropism in these cells in vivo. Animals and arthr opods cell lines were used as well far their capacity to bind and replicate HCV. The aim of this review is to present the different cell systems used to replicate HCV in culture and the results obtained. (C) 2001 Editions sci entifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.