title: [HIV controllers: how these patients control viral replication?].
abstract: Some patients infected by the HIV are called HIV controllers because viral replication remains undectectable during a prolonged period of time in the absence of any antiretroviral treatment. This state could be considered as a « functional cure » in these virally infected patients. Understanding mechanisms underlying this prolonged control of viral replication is key to the development of future vaccinal strategies. French ANRS is exploiting a cohort of HIV controllers since several years, and immunological analysis of these patients has yielded some mechanistic clues that this review will discuss. A striking feature is the very efficient and polyfunctional CD8 T cell response of these patients, which exhibits a high avidity against the gag protein of the virus. Other parameters and questions are studied : the role of HLA B57, overrepresented in this cohort ; how HIV controllers who do not express a very robust CD8 response control the viral replication ? The long term follow up of these patients will also give important informations on their -immunological, viral and clinical evolution.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine interne et maladies infectieuses, CHU de Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lambotte
mesh_terms: D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D020276:HIV Long-Term Survivors; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000502:physiology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008954:Models, Biological; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*