Breast Milk HIV-1 RNA Levels and Female Sex Are Associated With HIV-1-Specific CD8+ T-Cell Responses in HIV-1-Exposed, Uninfected Infants in Kenya
Year: 2011
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Although evidence supports a relationship between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 exposure and HIV-1-specific CD8(+) T cell responses, studies have not demonstrated a direct association between the quantity of HIV-1 to which a person is exposed and the presence or absence of a response. METHODS: From 1999 to 2005, maternal HIV-1 RNA levels were measured in blood, cervical secretions, and breast milk at delivery and 1 month after delivery. HIV-1-specific interferon (IFN)-γ Elispot assays were conducted to determine infant CD8(+) T-cell responses at 3 months of age. RESULTS: Among 161 infants tested with Elispot assays, 23 (14%) had positive results. Mothers whose infants had a positive assay had higher breast milk HIV-1 RNA levels at month 1 compared with mothers whose infants had negative Elispot assays (3.1 vs 2.5 log(10) copies/mL; P = .017). Female infants were also more likely to have positive Elispot assays than male infants (P = .046), and in multivariate analyses, both female sex and high breast milk HIV-1 levels remained important predictors of a positive response (P = .022 and P = .015, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to breast milk HIV-1 and sex were associated with development of HIV-1-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses in infants. These data support a role for mucosal exposure via the oral route in induction of systemic HIV-1-specific cellular immunity.
Authors: C. Farquhar, B. Lohman-Payne, J. Overbaugh, B. A. Richardson, J. Mabuka, R. Bosire, D. Mbori-Ngacha, G. John-Stewart
Language: English
Topic: HIV Research and Treatment
Subfield: Virology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, University of Washington, National Institutes of Health, Center for AIDS Research, University of Washington, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Mental Health, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fogarty International Center, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: G1255415169, G1323885547, G200116433, G2213881162, G2219438539, CTL responses in HIV-1 infected infants, G3653507549, HIV-1 and Protective Immunity against Common Childhood Pathogens, AIDS International Training and Research Program, G3985073149, G4010420530, G4847806209, G6106727576, G6534838075, G6625095162, Protective Immune Responses in HIV-1 Exposed Infants, G7791962275, G9000186388, University of Washington/Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research, Pediatric HIV reservoir determinants and consequences
OpenAlex ID: W2144407264