Hepatitis D virus: viral cycle and new therapeutic approaches.

An estimated 70 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis D (delta) virus (HDV) worldwide. HDV is a small satellite virus of hepatitis B virus (HBV) requiring HBV for the completion of its cycle. Hepatitis D is the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis. It is responsible for an acceleration and an aggravation of chronic liver disease compared to HBV monoinfected patients. Current treatments based on pegylated interferon rarely allow viral clearance in chronically infected patients. For long time, the absence of easy-to-use models has limited the knowledge on virus-host interactions. Notably, hepatocyte host factors involved in the viral life cycle remain largely unknown. These host factors are potential therapeutic targets for novel treatment strategies, including molecules currently evaluated in clinical trials. This review summarizes our knowledge on HDV molecular virology and innovative therapeutic strategies targeting hepatocyte host factors.