Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 5, 2025
Sequencing of Bacterial Microflora in Peripheral Blood: our Experience with HIV-infected Patients
Published on: June 11, 2011
Innate Immune Responses and Gut Microbiomes Distinguish HIV-Exposed from HIV-Unexposed Children in a
Nelly Amenyogbe1,2, Pedro Dimitriu3, Patricia Cho4
1Department of Experimental Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1M9, Canada; n.akuvy@gmail.com wmohn@mail.ubc.ca.
Insights
Children born to mothers with HIV (HEU) show altered immunity and gut microbiomes, varying by geographic location. Maternal HIV infection impacts HEU children
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Microbiology
- Global Health
Background:
- Children born to HIV-positive mothers who are HIV-negative (HEU) exhibit increased infection susceptibility compared to unexposed children (HUU).
- Innate immunity and gut microbiome composition differ geographically and influence each other.
- The interplay between maternal HIV, geographic location, and immune-microbiome profiles in HEU children remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate biogeographical immune-microbiome correlations in HEU children.
- To compare innate immune responses and stool microbiomes of HEU and HUU children across Belgium, Canada, and South Africa.
- To test if region-specific immune alterations correlate with microbiome differences in HEU children.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of innate immune responses and stool microbiome composition.
- Study included 2-year-old HEU and HUU children from distinct global settings.
- Statistical analysis to identify immune-microbiome associations.
Main Results:
- No universal immune or microbiome signature distinguished HEU from HUU children across all populations.
- Population-specific differences in stool microbiomes were observed, including reduced short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria in Canadian HEU children.
- No consistent innate immune-microbiome associations differentiating HEU from HUU children were found in any population.
Conclusions:
- Maternal HIV infection is associated with population-specific alterations in both innate immunity and the gut microbiome of HEU children.
- Geographic location plays a significant role in shaping these immune and microbiome differences.
- Findings highlight the complex, location-dependent impact of maternal HIV on child health outcomes.
Abstract:
In both high- and low-income countries, HIV-negative children born to HIV-positive mothers (HIV exposed, uninfected [HEU]) are more susceptible to severe infection than HIV-unexposed, uninfected (HUU) children, with altered innate immunity hypothesized to be a cause. Both the gut microbiome and systemic innate immunity differ across biogeographically distinct settings, and the two are known to influence each other. And although the gut microbiome is influenced by HIV infection and may contribute to altered immunity, the biogeography of immune-microbiome correlations among HEU children have not been investigated. To address this, we compared the innate response and the stool microbiome of 2-y-old HEU and HUU children from Belgium, Canada, and South Africa to test the hypothesis that region-specific immune alterations directly correlate to differences in their stool microbiomes. We did not detect a universal immune or microbiome signature underlying differences between HEU versus HUU that was applicable to all children. But as hypothesized, population-specific differences in stool microbiomes were readily detected and included reduced abundances of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria in Canadian HEU children. Furthermore, we did not identify innate immune-microbiome associations that distinguished HEU from HUU children in any population. These findings suggest that maternal HIV infection is independently associated with differences in both innate immunity and the stool microbiome in a biogeographical population-specific way.
More Related Videos
08:11Assessing the Innate Sensing of HIV-1 Infected CD4+ T Cells by Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Using an Ex vivo Co-culture System.
Published on: September 1, 2015
08:12Isolation of Leukocytes from Human Breast Milk for Use in an Antibody-dependent Cellular Phagocytosis Assay of HIV Targets
Published on: September 6, 2019
Related Concept Videos
01:23Anatomy of the Intestines
Small Intestines
The small intestine is an ~7 meter-long tube with an inner diameter of just 2.5 cm. Since most nutrients are absorbed here, the inner lining of the...
01:22Development of Immunocompetence
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
01:21Introduction to Innate and Adaptive Immunity
Innate immunity is the body's natural, nonspecific defense system that acts quickly to protect against pathogens. It incorporates physical barriers like skin and mucous membranes and cellular elements such as phagocytes and natural killer cells. This part of our immune system provides an immediate,...
01:29Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...
01:23Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response
01:25Immunodeficiency Diseases
There are three main causes of immunodeficiency...