The woodchuck as an animal model for pathogenesis and therapy of chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Figure 4 Combination treatment with clevudine and WHsAg vaccine suppresses serum viremia and antigenemia and induces a humoral response in chronic WHV carrier woodchucks. Changes in serum WHV DNA, serum WHsAg, and anti-WHs antibodies of chronic carriers in response to treatment with placebo (CLV-V-), vaccine (CLV-V+), drug (CLV+V-), and combination of drug and vaccine (CLV+V+) are shown. Horizontal bars denote the period of clevudine (CLV) administration for 32 wk. Arrowheads represent the 4 immunizations (V) using 50 μg doses of an alum-adsorbed, formalin-inactivated WHsAg vaccine at wk 32, 36, 40, and 48. WHVge, WHV genomic equivalents (virion or WHV DNA-containing particles).