title: [For a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in vertical transmission of HIV].
abstract: Maternal-infant transmission of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) is the primary cause of this retrovirus infection in neonates. The mechanisms of vertical transmission of HIV, in particular in utero transmission, remain poorly defined. Trophoblastic cells from the placenta are thought to be a target of HIV infection and/or may be utilized by the virus to be transported across the placental barrier by a process known as transcytosis. The vertical transmission of HIV (via infection or transcytosis) may be either favoured or inhibited by factors related to both the viral phenotype and the cellular environment.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'immunorétrovirologie humaine, Centre de recherche en infectiologie, Hôpital CHUL, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Département de biologie médicale, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Sainte-Foy, Canada.
authors.forename: Gaël
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vidricaire
authors.forename: Michel J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tremblay
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D011247:Pregnancy; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000821:virology*