What Type Of Cells Does Hiv Infect

Through Blood Transfusions Or Organ Transplants

Currently, HIV infection is rarely transmitted through blood transfusions or organ transplants.

Since 1985 in most developed countries, all blood collected for transfusion is tested for HIV, and when possible, some blood products are treated with heat to eliminate the risk of HIV infection. The current risk of HIV infection from a single blood transfusion is estimated to be less than 1 in about 2 million in the United States. However, in many developing countries, blood and blood products are not screened for HIV or are not screened as stringently. There, the risk remains substantial.

HIV has been transmitted when organs from infected donors were unknowingly used as transplants. HIV transmission is unlikely to occur when corneas or certain specially treated tissues are transplanted.

The Science Of Hiv And Aids

Key Points

• HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, a pathogen that works by attacking the human immune system.
• HIV specifically targets CD4 cells, the bodys principal defenders against infection, using them to make copies of themselves.
• Antiretroviral drugs target specific stages of the HIV lifecycle to stop HIV from replicating.

Explore this page to find out more about , , and .

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, a pathogen that works by attacking the human immune system. It belongs to a class of viruses called retroviruses and more specifically, a subgroup called lentiviruses, or viruses that cause disease slowly. 1

HIV cannot replicate on its own, so in order to make new copies of itself, it must infect cells of the human immune system, called CD4 cells. CD4 cells are white blood cells that play a central role in responding to infections in the body. 2

Over time, CD4 cells are killed by HIV and the bodys ability to recognise and fight some types of infection begins to decline. If HIV is not controlled by treatment, the loss of CD4 cells leads to the development of serious illnesses, or opportunistic infections. In people with normal CD4 cell levels, these infections would be recognised and cleared by the immune system. 3

Hiv Invasion Of Immune Cells

HIV infects T cells via high-affinity interaction between the virion envelope glycoprotein and the CD4 molecule. The infection of T cells is assisted by the T-cell co-receptor called CXCR4 while HIV infects monocytes by interacting with CCR5 co-receptor . As illustrated in Figure 2, after gp120 binds to CD4 on the T cell . Nucleocapsids containing viral genome and enzymes enters the target cell . Following the release of viral genome and enzymes from the core protein, viral reverse transcriptase catalyses reverse transcription of ssRNA to form RNA-DNA hybrids . To yield HIV dsDNA the viral RNA template is partially degraded by ribonuclease H and the second DNA strand is synthesized . The viral dsDNA is translocated into the nucleus and integrated into the host genome by the viral integrase enzyme . Transcription factors transcribe the proviral DNA into genomic ssRNA , which is exported to cytoplasm . In the cytoplasm, host-cell ribosomes catalyse synthesis of viral precursor proteins . The viral precursor proteins are cleaved into viral proteins by viral proteases . HIV ssRNA and proteins assemble beneath the host-cell plasma membrane forming virion buds from it . Maturation occurs either in the forming buds or after budding from the host cell . During maturation, HIV proteases cleave the poly-proteins into individual functional HIV proteins. The mature virions are able to infect another host cell.

Figure 1. Figure 2.

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Susceptibility Of Pbmcs To Infection With Hivs

PBMCs include monocytes, lymphocytes and circulating dendritic cells. Monocytes can be infected by HIVs, and the susceptibility to infection can be observed at all stages of maturation. However, the kinetics of virus replication depends on the stage of cellular differentiation at the time of virus infection. CD4 cells, the main target for HIVs, express the CD4 receptors and their destruction is associated with the deterioration of the immune system. T-lymphocytes do not support a productive infection with HIVs in vitro, unless they are first stimulated with agents such as mitogens or antigens. Activated T lymphocytes are easier to infect than non-activated ones.

Our experience of the differences of HIV infection observed among PBMCs from different individuals was not due to the differences in cell types . Yamada et al, had found that differences between cultures still exist even if monocytes were removed and the remaining cells were only T cells. Williams and Cloyd also reported differences between CD4+ cell clones to infection by HIV indicating that the differences observed between different PBMCs to infection were most likely due to cellular factors. Moreover, these differences were not related to differences in CD4 antigen positive lymphocytes or to differences in cell growth.

Screening And Diagnostic Tests

If doctors suspect exposure to HIV infection, they do a screening test for HIV. Doctors also recommend that all adults and adolescents, particularly pregnant women, have a screening test regardless of what their risk appears to be. Anyone who is concerned about being infected with HIV can request to be tested. Such testing is confidential and often free of charge.

The current combination screening test tests for two things that suggest HIV infection:

• to HIV

• HIV antigens

Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to help defend the body against a particular attack, such as that by HIV. Antigens are foreign substances that can trigger an immune response.

The body takes several weeks to produce enough antibodies to be detected by the test, so results of the antibody test are negative during the first few weeks after the virus enters the body . However, results of the p24 antigen test can be positive as early as 2 weeks after the initial infection. The combination tests can be done quickly by a laboratory. Also, a version of these tests can be done in a doctor’s office or clinic . If results are positive, doctors do a test to distinguish HIV-1 from HIV-2 and a test to detect the amount of HIV RNA in the blood .

Other, older rapid bedside tests are also available. These tests can be done using a sample of blood or saliva. If results of these rapid screening tests are positive, they are confirmed by ELISA or by repetition of one or more other rapid tests.

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Evidence Supporting That Microglial Cells Are Susceptible To Hiv

Finally, infection of microglial cells is clearly demonstrated in animal models such as the macaque and the humanized mouse . In these models HIV-1 DNA, RNA and protein were detected in the brain. Importantly, studies on these models showed that the viral reservoir is established very early at 3 days post infection . More interestingly, there is evidence that microglial cells can be latently infected . A macaque model has recently been designed and a mechanism for the establishment of HIV-1 transcription suggested . In this model, microglial cells can be reactivated in response to cytokine stimulation . Interestingly, in a cell model developed in Karn’s laboratory, the glucocorticoid receptor and the toll-like receptor 3 appeared to be crucial receptors for HIV-1 activation . In brain autopsies from patients whose infection was controlled HIV-1 DNAs in microglial cells and macrophages were also detected . Humanized mouse models were generated in which microglial cells were infected by HIV-1 in vivo . These models will allow us to study the pathophysiology of microglial cell activation and to develop strategies aiming to reduce the pool of these reservoirs.

Thus, a complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying establishment and persistence of HIV-1 latency in microglial cells is needed in order to design original strategies aiming to target these reservoirs.

Diagnostic Value Of Cd4 T

In a healthy adult, a normal CD4 count can vary enormously but is typically around 500 to 1500 cells per cubic millimeter of blood . When it falls below 200, however, then the disease is technically classified as AIDS .

It is during this time that the most serious opportunistic infections are known to occur as the immune systems are effectively compromised by infection.

Prior to 2016, CD4 counts had been used as a means by which to determine when to start antiretroviral therapy. But in recent years that role has been changed as global authorities now endorse the immediate initiation of HIV therapy on diagnosis .

The CD4 count is also used to monitor an individual’s response to therapy. Earlier initiation of antiretroviral therapy is generally able to restore a person’s immune function.

It is, therefore, important to get tested and seek immediate care in the event of an HIV-positive diagnosis. If treatment is started promptly, people living with HIV now have a far better chance of living normal and healthy life spans.

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Challenges In Studying Non

In ART-suppressed individuals the number of latently infected T cell varies from 1 to 10 infectious units per million . Estimation of these numbers in ART-suppressed individuals requires isolation of millions of cells from large volume blood draws . Similar studies on cells from HIV-1 infected people that have low or absent numbers in circulation, or that are principally found in tissues, have been technically challenging or unethical .

What Else Can Affect Your Cd4 Count

Things other than the HIV virus can influence how high or low your CD4 count is, too.

An infection like the flu, pneumonia, or a herpes simplex virus can make your CD4 count go down for a while.

Your CD4 count will go way down when you’re having chemotherapy for cancer.

To get the most accurate and helpful results for your CD4 count, try to:

• Use the same lab each time.
• Wait for at least a couple of weeks after you’ve been sick or gotten a shot before you get a test.

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Prevention Of Hiv Infection

At present, there is no effective HIV vaccine to prevent HIV infection or slow the progression of AIDS in people who are already infected. However, treating people who have HIV infection reduces the risk of their transmitting the infection to other people.

Transmission of HIV through its most common routessexual contact or sharing of needlesis almost completely preventable. However, the measures required for preventionsexual abstinence or consistent condom use Prevention Sexually transmitted diseases are infections that are typically, but not exclusively, passed from person to person through sexual contact. Sexually transmitted diseases may be caused… read more and access to clean needlesare sometimes personally or socially unpopular. Many people have difficulty changing their addictive or sexual behaviors, so they continue to put themselves at risk of HIV infection. Also, safe sex practices are not foolproof. For example, condoms can leak or break.

Usual And Unusual Suspects

Viral latency is defined as a reversible nonproductive state of infection in individual cells . Reservoirs are cells that harbor replicative forms of HIV-1 following long periods of ART-suppressed viremia . Resting memory CD4+ T cell reservoirs have been estimated to have a half-life of 44 months, meaning that their clearance during ART may take as long as 73 years . Subsequently, distinct populations of CD4+ T cells have also been recognized to contribute to the pool of latently infected cells , although those are outside the scope of the present review. The half-life of resting memory CD4+ T cell reservoirs corresponds to the long-phase decay of residual plasma viremia in persons taking long-term ART . The phases of plasma HIV-1 RNA decline on ART have been attributed to infection of different cell types that are infected by the virus, and much has been inferred about the identities of those cells without clear evidence . Here, we enumerate several candidate cell types that could potentially serve as HIV-1 reservoirs .

Fig. 1

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The Biology Of Microglial Cells

In conclusion, microglial cells fulfill several criteria of a brain reservoir. Most importantly they can subsist for a very long time in the brain and they can colonize the brain parenchyma. Contrary to other potential reservoirs in the brain, these cells divide slowly expanding the viral reservoirs in the brain and thus allowing virus persistence and reseeding of the blood. They are also involved in many functions including immune surveillance. As a consequence, any dysfunction of these cells might explain the occurrence of HAND.

Aids How Hiv Infects T

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is characterized by weakening of the immune system on contracting the notorious Human Immunodeficiency Virus . This virus specifically attacks the immune cells called T-helper cells, which leads to increased susceptibility to infections.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is characterized by weakening of the immune system on contracting the notorious Human Immunodeficiency Virus . This virus specifically attacks the immune cells called T-helper cells, which leads to increased susceptibility to infections.

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Resistance To Hiv Infection

The poorly understood phenomenon associated with the HIV-1 epidemic is the existence of individuals who have been repeatedly exposed to the virus but remain uninfected. It has been suggested that HIV-1 resistant individuals may have a non functioning co-receptor preventing the virus from entering cells., The CCR-5 receptor was demonstrated as one of the main co-receptors for NSI strains of HIV-1. Samson et al., reported that a 32 bp deletion within the coding region for the CCR-5 generating a non-functional receptor that did not support infection by NSI strains of HIV-1. Moreover, white blood cells from individuals homozygous for the mutant CCR-5 were found to be highly resistant to infection by NSI viruses., Population studies indicate that the homozygous defect is found in only 1% of Caucasians of western European ancestry whereas the heterozygous defect is present in approximately 20% of this population. These results indicate that variants of the CCR-5 receptor could be responsible for the relative resistance to HIV-1 infection exhibited by some individuals and also for the variability of the course of the disease in infected patients.

Quantification And Statistical Analysis

Statistical details of experiments can be found in each figure legend. Nonparametric tests were used to compare medians between groups unless noted otherwise. The MannWhitney test was used for 2 groups and the KruskalWallis test followed by Dunns multiple comparison post-test was used for> 2 groups. Wilcoxon signed rank was used to compare continuous data between two time points. Spearmans correlation coefficients were used to examine associations between variables. Differences were considered significant at p< 0.05. For figures marked fold increase, the value at the final timepoint was compared to the initial timepoint rare values below 1 were normalized to the value of 1. Prism 8 was used for all analyses.

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Microglial Cells: The Main Hiv

• 1Université de Strasbourg, EA7292, FMTS, IUT Louis Pasteur, Schiltigheim, France
• 2Division of Infectious Diseases, Saint-Pierre University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles , Brussels, Belgium
• 3UCD Centre for Experimental Pathogen Host Research , School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
• 4Laboratory of Molecular Virology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology , Trieste, Italy
• 5Service of Molecular Virology, Department of Molecular Biology , Université Libre de Bruxelles , Gosselies, Belgium

Cell Isolation From Blood

Peripheral blood from the bronchoscopy study participants recruited in Boston was obtained at least 7 days before the bronchoscopy and PBMCs were processed and cryopreserved. Ficoll gradients were used to isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells . Monocytes and CD4+T cells were then isolated by CD14+positive selection and CD4+T cell negative selection , respectively. MDMs were obtained by maturing monocytes in RPMI with 10% GemCell US Origin Human Serum AB for 7 days.

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Simplified Life Cycle Of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus

HIV also infects other cells, such as cells in the skin, brain, genital tract, heart, and kidneys, causing disease in those organs.

Why Is Hiv So Evasive What Is The Hiv Reservoir

Although HIV can be controlled by antiretroviral therapy, it cannot be eliminated from the body. This is because HIV evades the normal immune system mechanisms for getting rid of cells infected by viruses.

HIV integrates itself into the DNA of human immune system cells and only replicates when the cell is stimulated to respond to an infection. These cells are called latently-infected cells. These cells are not recognised as infected by the immune system and killed off, allowing them to persist for as long as the cell lives.17

Some of the cells infected by HIV are very long-lasting memory T-cells. Reservoirs of latently- infected cells become established in the lymph nodes, the spleen and the gut. HIV also infects cells in the brain, but it is unclear if HIV can pass from the brain to other parts of the body. HIV may also persist for many years in macrophages immune cells found largely in tissues and in dendritic cells, which recognise infectious agents and alert other immune cells to remove them.

Latently-infected cells can proliferate without being activated and HIV may also pass from cell to cell within tissues in the gut and other reservoirs. 18 This means they evade the immune system and are not suppressed by antiretroviral drugs before infecting other cells.

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