Virology of hepatitis B and C viruses and antiviral targets

Hepatitis B and C viruses belong to two distinct virus families, the Hepadnaviridae and the Flaviviridae, respectively, and have different virological characteristics. Better knowledge of their lifecycles and variability offers the opportunity to develop novel therapeutic approaches and classes of drugs. The issue of cccDNA clearance, however, remains in hepatitis B treatment, whereas HCV infection is curable. (c) 2005 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.