Abstract
Simian HIV (SHIV) infection of macaques with CXCR4 tropic viruses results in early and profound CD4+ T-cell depletion in the first few weeks of infection. Analyzing data from a large study of vaccination and SHIV-89.6P challenge, we observe a strong correlation between peak viral load and the extent of CD4+ T-cell depletion in acute infection, consistent with a simple kinetic model of viral infection of CD4+ T cells. We have modeled the dynamics of the interaction of virus and CD4+ T cells over time to investigate the rate of CD4+ T-cell infection and death. This analysis indicates that up to 80% of CD4+ T cells are infected at peak viremia and that the proportion of CD4+ T cells destroyed is correlated with the peak viral load. The simple relation between viral load and CD4+ T-cell depletion allows prediction of the level of viral control required to prevent CD4+ T-cell depletion in acute SHIV infection. Whether such a simple relation also holds for HIV or simian immunodeficiency virus infections remains to be determined, particularly in the gut and other anatomic sites in which most early T-cell depletion occurs.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 259-265 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2006 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- CD4-positive T lymphocytes
- Mathematic models
- Pathogenesis
- Vaccine
- Viral load
- Virus-cell interaction