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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Human immunodeficiency virus-specific CD8
+
T-cell activity is detectable from birth in the majority of in utero-infected infants
Journal of Virology, Volume 81, No. 23, Year 2007
Notification
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Description
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected infants in sub-Saharan Africa typically progress to AIDS or death by 2 years of life in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. This rapid progression to HIV disease has been related to immaturity of the adaptive immune response in infants. We screened 740 infants born to HIV-infected mothers and tracked development and specificity of HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell responses in 63 HIV-infected infants identified using gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunospot assays and intracellular cytokine staining. Forty-four in utero-infected and 19 intrapartum-infected infants were compared to 45 chronically infected children >2 years of age. Seventy percent (14 of 20) in utero-infected infants tested within the first week of life demonstrated HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell responses. Gag, Pol, and Nef were the principally targeted regions in chronic pediatric infection. However, Env dominated the overall response in one-third (12/36) of the acutely infected infants, compared to only 2/45 (4%) of chronically infected children (P = 0.00083). Gag-specific CD4+ T-cell responses were minimal to undetectable in the first 6 months of pediatric infection. These data indicate that failure to control HIV replication in in utero-infected infants is not due to an inability to induce responses but instead suggest secondary failure of adaptive immunity in containing this infection. Moreover, the detection of virus-specific CD8+ T-cell responses in the first days of life in most in utero-infected infants is encouraging for HIV vaccine interventions in infants. Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Thobakgale, Christina F.
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Ramduth, Danni
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Reddy, Sharon
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Mkhwanazi, Nompumelelo Prudence
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
de Pierres, Chantal
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Moodley, Eshia S.
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Mphatswe, Wendy P.
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Blanckenberg, Natasha
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Cengimbo, Ayanda
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Prendergast, Andrew J.
United Kingdom, Oxford
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Tudor-Williams, Gareth
United Kingdom, London
Imperial College London
Dong, Krista L.
United States, Boston
Massachusetts General Hospital
Jeena, Prakash Mohan
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Kindra, Gurpreet
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Bobat, Raziya A.
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Coovadia, Hoosen Mahomed
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Kiepiela, Photini
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Walker, Bruce D.
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
United States, Boston
Massachusetts General Hospital
United States, Chevy Chase
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Goulder, Philip Jeremy Renshaw
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
United Kingdom, Oxford
Nuffield Department of Medicine
United States, Boston
Massachusetts General Hospital
Statistics
Citations: 68
Authors: 19
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1128/JVI.00624-07
ISSN:
0022538X
Research Areas
Infectious Diseases
Maternal And Child Health