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Published on: July 1, 2013
Immunopathogenesis of HIV infection
1Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Maryland 20892-1876, USA.
Annual Review of Microbiology
|January 1, 1996
Summary
The initial immune response to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) dictates disease progression. Differences in T-cell responses and viral escape mechanisms influence whether HIV infection persists or is controlled, impacting long-term health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- The rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression varies significantly among infected individuals.
- The balance between viral replication and the host immune response determines infection outcomes, including viral persistence and disease progression rates.
- Primary HIV infection involves a rapid increase in viral load and dissemination to lymphoid organs, followed by an immune response that typically reduces but does not eliminate the virus.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms by which HIV evades the immune system.
- To understand how qualitative differences in the primary immune response influence the rate of HIV disease progression.
- To identify factors critical for the initial host-virus interaction that shape long-term clinical outcomes.
Main Methods:
- The study focuses on analyzing the immune response to HIV during primary infection.
- Mechanisms of viral escape, such as clonal deletion and sequestration of cytotoxic T-cells, are investigated.
- Qualitative differences in the T-cell receptor repertoire during the primary immune response are examined.
Main Results:
- HIV-specific cytotoxic T-cell clonal deletion and sequestration of these cells from replication sites are identified as key mechanisms of viral immune escape.
- The inability of the immune system to completely clear HIV establishes a chronic infection leading to immunosuppression over time.
- Qualitative differences in the primary immune response, specifically the breadth of the T-cell receptor repertoire, correlate with varying rates of disease progression.
Conclusions:
- The initial interaction between HIV and the host immune system is crucial for determining the subsequent clinical course of infection.
- Mechanisms of viral immune escape significantly contribute to the persistence of HIV.
- Variations in the early immune response, including T-cell repertoire diversity, are associated with different rates of HIV disease progression.
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