Emergence of HIV-1 Sensitive to Neutralizing Antibodies
Author Information
Author(s): Aasa-Chapman Marlén M. I., Cheney Kelly M., Hué Stéphane, Forsman Anna, O'Farrell Stephen, Pellegrino Pierre, Williams Ian, McKnight Áine
Primary Institution: MRC/UCL Centre for Medical Molecular Virology, University College London
Hypothesis
Can HIV-1 evolve to become more sensitive to neutralizing antibodies during infection?
Conclusion
HIV-1 can evolve to become more sensitive to neutralizing antibodies without clinical progression or changes in coreceptor usage.
Supporting Evidence
- HIV-1 evolves sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies during infection.
- Neutralization sensitive viruses can emerge even in the presence of strong autologous neutralizing antibodies.
- Emergence of neutralization sensitive viruses occurred without clinical progression.
Takeaway
HIV can change over time to be more easily attacked by the body's defenses, even when those defenses are strong.
Methodology
The study involved amplifying viral envs from seven HIV-1 infected men over a period of up to 5 years and testing them for neutralization sensitivity.
Limitations
The study was limited to a small cohort of men and may not be generalizable to other populations.
Participant Demographics
All participants were men who have sex with men (MSM) and were monitored from seroconversion.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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