CD16⁺ monocyte subset preferentially harbors HIV-1 and is expanded in pregnant Malawian women with Plasmodium falciparum malaria and HIV-1 infection

In a cross-sectional study, monocyte subsets in placental, cord, and maternal peripheral blood from pregnant Malawian women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection and/or malaria were analyzed. HIV-uninfected Malawian women had higher baseline proportions of CD16 + monocytes than those reported for healthy adults in developed countries. Malaria was associated with an increase in the proportion of CD16+ monocytes that was significant in women coinfected with HIV-1. CD16+ monocytes expressed higher CCR5 levels than did CD14 hi/CD16- monocytes and were significantly more likely to harbor HIV-1. These data suggest a role for CD16+ monocytes in the pathogenesis of maternal malaria and HIV-1 infections. © 2007 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.