Does HIV-1, HIV-2 Coinfection Offer Benefits of Disease Control?
Preexisting antibodies against HIV-2 may aid in controlling HIV-1 in individuals with HIV-1/HIV-2 coinfection, according to a new study.
To evaluate the protective mechanisms of the coinfection, the researchers analyzed plasma samples from police officers in Guinea-Bissau, 23 of whom had HIV-1, 30 of whom had HIV-2, and 9 of whom had both viruses. The participants were either treatment naïve or had not been successfully treated.
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Using the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)-GranToxiLux assay, the researchers measured the HIV-1 and HIV-2 intratype and intertype ADCC.
Intratype ADCC was identified in plasma samples from participants with HIV-1 and from participants with HIV-2. Meanwhile, the plasma samples from participants with HIV-1/HIV-2 coinfection demonstrated ADCC reactivity against both HIV-1 and HIV-2 envelope glycoprotein–coated targets.
Participants with HIV-2 often had intertype cross-reactive antibodies that controlled HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-targeted ADCC. The researchers discovered that the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein origin played a role in determining the HIV-1 cross-reactive ADCC activity’s magnitude. The magnitude was also associated with the duration of infection and was in the range of protective immunity.
Further, according to the study authors, some participants infected with HIV-2 possessed ADCC-mediating antibodies that were broadly cross-reactive against HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein, representing different subtypes.
“These results suggest that preexisting antibodies against HIV-2, which mediate intertype ADCC, might contribute to control of HIV-1 during dual infection,” the researchers concluded.
—Colleen Murphy
Reference:
Karlsson I, Tingstedt JL, Şahin GÖ, et al. Cross-reactive antibodies with the capacity to mediate HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-targeted antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity identified in HIV-2–infected individuals. J Infect Dis. 2019;219(11):1749-1754. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiz001.