Hepatitis C virus' initial encounters: mechanisms of innate immunity

HCV is a single-stranded RNA virus that affects approximately 210 million people worldwide causing chronic disease in 80% of those infected. With the development of new models of study, and a better understanding of the innate immune response, the way this virus induces and evades an immune response at the beginning of the infection has started to be recognized as a critical stage for the development of the chronic state. Still, even with so much information, the question remains as to how the virus establishes itself successfully in the host; a critical question that can lead to life-saving answers. In this review we aim to understand the initial interaction of the virus with its host based on the current literature that links innate immunity and HCV's effects over it.