AEGiS-11IAC: Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte activity in HIV-2 seropositive mothers and their 9 month old infants.

11th International AIDS Conference


Vancouver, British Columbia — July 7-12, 1996

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Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte activity in HIV-2 seropositive mothers and their 9 month old infants.

Int Conf AIDS 1996 Jul 7-12; 11:211 (abstract no. Th.A.143)
Cham F, Ariyoshi K, O'Donovan D, Goulder P, Gallimore A, Ota M, McMichael A, Whittle H; M.R.C. Laboratories, Banjul, The Gambia, West Africa. Fax: (220) 495919. E-mail: F_Cham@gam.healthnet.org.

OBJECTIVES: To study HIV-2 specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte(CTL) activity in mother infant pairs and to study the role of CTL activity in vertical transmission of HIV-2.

METHODS: Fresh PBMCs were collected from 4 HIV-2 seropositive and 3 HIV-negative mothers and their 9 month old babies. One seventh of PBMCs were stimulated with PHA in all subjects, then were infected with 25 TCID of HIV-2ROD in seronegative mothers and all babies before mixing with the rest of cells. This culture was fed with 10% lymphocult-T after 7 days of culture. CTL activity was measured between days 10-14 by the standard 51Cr release assay, using mothers autologous B cell lines infected with recombinant vaccinias expressing HIV-2 gag, pol, or nef proteins as target cells. CTL activity was regarded as significant if specific lysis(%) was 10% greater than control vaccinia (beta-galactosidase).

RESULTS: Mean CD4+% of HIV-2 positive and HIV-negative mothers was 45% and 55% respectively. None of the babies were infected with HIV-2 as determined by a nested PCR. Significant gag CTL was demonstrated in all positive mothers but neither pol nor nef CTL was observed. Significant HIV-2 specific CTL was not demonstrated in any of their babies nor in the controls.

CONCLUSION: HIV-2 specific CTL was demonstrated in all HIV-2 infected mothers but not in their nine month old babies. These results suggest that strong CTL activity in mothers but not in babies may attribute to low transmission of HIV-2.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV-2, T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic, HIV Infections, Gene Products, nef, HIV Antigens, HIV, Disease Transmission, Vertical, HIV Seropositivity, Mothers, HIV Seronegativity, Infant, Human, transmission, immunology, ICA11KWDaegis,hiv-2,t-lymphocytes,cytotoxic,hivinfections,geneproducts,nef,hivantigens,hiv,diseasetransmission,vertical,hivseropositivity,mothers,hivseronegativity,infant,human,transmission,immunology,ica11

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ThA143

Copyright © 1996 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.