Complement factors C3a and C5a mimick a proinflammatory microenvironment and increase HBV IGRA sensitivity.

Innate signals mediated via complement pathways contribute to HBV-specific cellular immune responses. The massively improved diagnostic sensitivity of the IFNγ release assay after addition of C3a and C5a demonstrates that these effects render whole blood-based cytokine release assays even more potent as screening tools in HBV immunology and HBV vaccination studies.