Preventing HIV infection without targeting the virus: how reducing HIV target cells at the genital tract is a new approach to HIV prevention

For over three decades, HIV infection has had a tremendous impact on the lives of individuals and public health. Microbicides and vaccines studies have shown that immune activation at the genital tract is a risk factor for HIV infection. Furthermore, lower level of immune activation, or what we call...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIDS research and therapy 2017-09, Vol.14 (1), p.46-46, Article 46
Main Authors: Lajoie, Julie, Mwangi, Lucy, Fowke, Keith R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Activation
AIDS
AIDS vaccines
AIDS/HIV
Antiretroviral drugs
Aspirin - administration & dosage
Aspirin - therapeutic use
Disease Susceptibility
Female
Genital tract
Genitalia, Female - cytology
Genitalia, Female - drug effects
Genitalia, Female - immunology
Health aspects
Health risks
Highly exposed seronegative (HESN)
HIV
HIV infection
HIV Infections - epidemiology
HIV Infections - immunology
HIV Infections - prevention & control
HIV Infections - virology
HIV Seronegativity
HIV-1 - immunology
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Hydroxychloroquine - administration & dosage
Hydroxychloroquine - therapeutic use
Immune activation
Immune quiescence
Immune response
Immune system
Immunity, Innate
Immunity, Mucosal - drug effects
Infections
Kenya - epidemiology
Microbicides
Mimicry
Neisseria
Occupational health
Physiological aspects
Prevention
Prostitution
Protection
Public health
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Review
Risk Factors
Sex Workers
Sexually transmitted diseases
T cell receptors
Vaccines
Viruses
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Summary:For over three decades, HIV infection has had a tremendous impact on the lives of individuals and public health. Microbicides and vaccines studies have shown that immune activation at the genital tract is a risk factor for HIV infection. Furthermore, lower level of immune activation, or what we call immune quiescence, has been associated with a lower risk of HIV acquisition. This unique phenotype is observed in highly-exposed seronegative individuals from different populations including female sex workers from the Pumwani cohort in Nairobi, Kenya. Here, we review the link between immune activation and susceptibility to HIV infection. We also describe a new concept in prevention where, instead of targeting the virus, we modulate the host immune system to resist HIV infection. Mimicking the immune quiescence phenotype might become a new strategy in the toolbox of biomedical methods to prevent HIV infection. Clinical trial registration on clinicaltrial.gov: #NCT02079077.
ISSN:1742-6405
1742-6405
DOI:10.1186/s12981-017-0166-7