CD4 and infection: CD4+ T cells or T helper cells execute diverse tasks after differentiating into lineages such as Th1, Th2, Th17, Tregs, follicular T helper, etc. Although broadly directed HCV-specific CD4+ T cell response is observed at early stages of infection in both acute and chronic patients, persistent viremia is associated with early proliferative defects of these cells and subsequent rapid depletion of virus-specific response [46].