title: Schistosoma mansoni enhances host susceptibility to mucosal but not intravenous challenge by R5 Clade C SHIV.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The high prevalence of HIV-1/AIDS in areas endemic for schistosomiasis and other helminthic infections has led to the hypothesis that parasites increase host susceptibility to immunodeficiency virus infection. We previously showed that rhesus macaques (RM) with active schistosomiasis were significantly more likely to become systemically infected after intrarectal (i.r.) exposure to an R5-tropic clade C simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV-C) than were parasite-free controls. However, we could not address whether this was due to systemic or mucosal effects. If systemic immunoactivation resulted in increased susceptibility to SHIV-C acquisition, a similarly large difference in host susceptibility would be seen after intravenous (i.v.) SHIV-C challenge. Conversely, if increased host susceptibility was due to parasite-induced immunoactivation at the mucosal level, i.v. SHIV-C challenge would not result in significant differences between parasitized and parasite-free monkeys.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We enrolled two groups of RM and infected one group with Schistosoma mansoni; the other group was left parasite-free. Both groups were challenged i.v. with decreasing doses of SHIV-C. No statistically significant differences in 50% animal infectious doses (AID(50)) or peak viremia were seen between the two groups. These data strongly contrast the earlier i.r. SHIV-C challenge (using the same virus stock) in the presence/absence of parasites, where we noted a 17-fold difference in AID(50) and one log higher peak viremia in parasitized monkeys (P<0.001 for both). The lack of significant differences after the i.v. challenge implies that the increased host susceptibility is predominantly due to parasite-mediated mucosal upregulation of virus replication and spread, rather than systemic effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The major impact of schistosome-induced increased host susceptibility is at the mucosal level. Given that >90% of all new HIV-1 infections worldwide are acquired through mucosal contact, parasitic infections that inflame mucosae may play an important role in the spread of HIV-1.
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Nagadenahalli B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Siddappa
authors.forename: Girish
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hemashettar
authors.forename: Vivekanandan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shanmuganathan
authors.forename: Amma A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Semenya
authors.forename: Elizabeth D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.forename: Katherine S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Sandra J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: W Evan
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Secor
authors.forename: Ruth M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ruprecht
mesh_terms: D000285:Administration, Rectal; D000818:Animals; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004531:Eggs; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000276:immunology*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019562:Viral Load; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D015847:Interleukin-4