Host-pathogen interaction in HIV infection

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Ankita Chowdhury, Emory University; Guido Silvestri, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2013-08
• Publisher: Elsevier: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.coi.2013.07.003
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Current Opinion in Immunology
• ISSN: 0952-7915
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: 463
• End Page: 469
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported in part by the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs/OD P51OD011132 to the Yerkes National Primate Research Center.
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Pathology; Health Sciences, Immunology

Abstract

The host pathogen interaction is strikingly complex during HIV infection. While several immune effector mechanisms (i.e., cytotoxic T cells, neutralizing antibodies, NK cells, etc) can play a strong antiviral role in vivo, the virus is remarkably able to evade these responses. In addition, the virus preferentially infects and kills activated memory CD4+ T cells, thus exploiting the host antiviral immune response as a source of new cellular targets for infection. Recent advances in understanding (i) how HIV perturbs the host immune system, (ii) how the immune system fights HIV; and (iii) how HIV disease persists when virus replication is suppressed by antiretroviral drugs may hopefully lead to better prevention and treatment strategies for this deadly viral infection.