The oral microbiome of treated and untreated chronic HCV infection: A preliminary study

The present preliminary case-control study investigated the oral microbiome in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection before and after treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). The study found that untreated HCV patients had a significantly different bacterial community in their oral microbiome, with high diversity and abundance of pathogenic species. However, this changed to a community partially resembling both the diseased and healthy microbiome after treating DAAs. The study suggests that chronic HCV infection is associated with a dysbiotic oral microbiome and that DAAs may help to shift it closer to a healthy composition.