Candida albicans, HIV And Immune System in a Holobiont Perspective

Holobiont describes all types of relationships between hosts and their associated microbial communities, which can also attenuate the virulence of pathogens by the host microbiome. The cross-kingdom interactions between HIV, Candida albicans, and the human immune system have presented intriguing biological aspects. The human immunodeficiency 1 (HIV-1) virus is responsible for causing the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) by infecting CD4⁺ cells. HIV-1 internalization also depends on binding to coreceptors in the cell membrane, such as CCR5 and CXCR4. The expression of these chemokine receptors, as well as their ligands, can be modulated by the presence of Candida albicans PAMPs. Thus, this review discusses the inflammatory response mechanism activated by the commensal fungi Candida albicans that can modify the rate of immune cell infection by HIV-1. Despite the possibility of this crosstalk modulation, future research must validate the clinical significance of this holobiont interaction.