title: Distinct profile of T cell activation in HIV type 2 compared to HIV type 1 infection: differential mechanism for immunoprotection.
abstract: The mechanism for the lower rate of disease progression in HIV-2 infection remains undefined. We evaluated T cell activation in a cohort of HIV-infected commercial sex workers in Dakar, Senegal. CD8+ T cell activation was significantly lower in HIV-2- compared to HIV-1-infected volunteers and both groups displayed higher activation levels compared to seronegative individuals. In contrast, CD4+ T cell activation was similar between the HIV-1 and HIV-2 groups and significantly higher compared to the seronegative group. Interestingly, HIV-2-positive volunteers with evidence of Gag-specific CD8+ T cell responses displayed lower CD4+ T cell activation. Our data suggest that the distinct T cell activation profile in HIV-2-positive individuals may reflect on the presence of effective host immune responses in HIV-2 infection.
authors.affiliation: California Department of Health Services, Richmond, California 94804, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.forename: Abdoulaye Dieng
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sarr
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Souleymane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mboup
authors.forename: Phyllis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kanki
authors.forename: Huyen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1; D015498:HIV-2; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012675:Senegal; D011477:Sex Work; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D015683:Gene Products, gag