Effect of therapeutic HIV recombinant poxvirus vaccines on the size of the resting CD4+ T-cell latent HIV reservoir.

ABSTRACT: Therapeutic HIV vaccinations may alter the size of the resting memory CD4 T-cell latent HIV reservoir as HIV establishes latency when memory responses are formed, including those toward HIV. Alternatively, latently infected CD4 T cells maybe killed, while exiting the reservoir upon activation.The effect of therapeutic immunization with modified vaccinia Ankara and Fowlpox-based HIV vaccines on the latent reservoir was examined in 19 young adults who were receiving effective antiretroviral therapy. Correlations between size of the reservoir [measured in infectious units per million (IUPM)] resting CD4 T cells and HIV-specific immune responses, including immune activation were examined. Decay of the reservoir was assessed using random-effects model.A modest transient decrease in the size of the reservoir was observed at week 40 [mean -0.31?log(10) IUPM (95% confidence interval: -0.60 to -0.03; P?=?0.03] following HIV vaccinations. The estimated half-life (T1/2) of the reservoir during the 40 weeks following vaccination was 9.8 months and statistically different from zero (P?=?0.02), but 35.3 months and not different from zero (P?=?0.21) over 72 weeks of study. Latent reservoir size at baseline was not correlated with HIV-specific CD4, CD8 responses or immune activation, but became correlated with CD4 IFN? (r?=?0.54, P?=?0.02) and IL-2 responses at 6 weeks after immunization (r?=?0.48, P?=?0.04).Therapeutic HIV vaccinations led to a transient increase in decay of latently infected CD4 T cells. Further studies of therapeutic HIV vaccines may provide important insights into facilitating decay of the latent reservoir.

SUBMITTER: Persaud D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3314338 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature