Innate Immunity in Type C Hepatitis -- Mechanisms of Interferon Action and Resistance in Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Lessons Learned from Cell Culture Studies -- Immunological Parameters Influencing Adaptive Immune Responses to the Hepatitis C Virus -- Immune Responses Against the Hepatitis C Virus and the Outcome of Therapy -- Other Microbial Components Associated with Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Their Effects on Interferon-?/Ribavirin Treatment -- Interferon-Induced Effector Proteins and Hepatitis C Virus Replication -- Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C with Different Genotypes -- Interferon Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection: From Basic Biology to Clinical Application -- Interferon-Based Therapy for Hepatitis C Virus Infections -- Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in "Difficult-to-Treat" Patients in the Clinical Setting -- Effects of Combined IFN-Alpha/Ribavirin Treatment in HCV Disease-Related Progression -- Pegylated Interferons: Clinical Applications in the Management of Hepatitis C Infection. This comprehensive volume, written by experts in the field, emphasizes the most recent advances on the Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) moving from basic research to clinical application. In spite of the numerous studies on HCV infection, its pathogenesis and medical treatment have not been fully explained. The first chapters of this volume analyize the full spectrum of immune responses to HCV taking into account either innate or adoptive immunity involvement. The volume also includes a series of contributions which explain the state of art of IFN-alpha treatment in HCV patients and the effectiveness of therapy also in relation to HCV genotypes. The use and applications of pegylated IFNs will also be discussed as well as the complicated HCV disease and its treatment. Hepatitis C Virus Disease: Immunobiology and Clinical Applications is an ideal volume for researchers, scientists, professionals, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of infectious disease, immunology, virology, microbiology, pharmacology and medicine.