title: Social and immunological differences among uninfected Brazilians exposed or unexposed to human immunodeficiency virus-infected partners.
abstract: Understanding the social conditions and immunological characteristics that allow some human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-exposed patients to remain uninfected represents an on-going challenge. In this study, the socio-demographic and sexual behaviour characteristics and immune activation profiles of uninfected individuals exposed to HIV-infected partners were investigated. A confidential and detailed questionnaire was administered and venous blood was tested using HIV-1/enzyme immunoassays, plasma HIV-1 RNA levels/bDNA and immunophenotyping/flow cytometry to determine the frequencies of CD4 and CD8 T cells expressing activation markers. The data analysis showed significant differences (p < 0.05) for immune parameters in individuals who were uninfected, albeit exposed to HIV-infected partners, compared with unexposed individuals. In particular, the exposed, uninfected individuals had a higher frequency (median, minimum-maximum) of CD4⁺HLA-DR⁺ (4.2, 1.8-6.1), CD8⁺HLA-DR⁺ (4.6, 0.9-13.7), CD4⁺CD45RO⁺ (27.5, 14.2-46.6), CD4⁺CD45RO⁺CD62L⁺ (46.7, 33.9-67.1), CD8⁺CD45RA⁺HLA-DR⁺ (12.1, 3.4-35.8) and CD8⁺CD45RO⁺HLA-DR⁺ (9.0, 3.2-14.8) cells, a decreased percentage of CD8⁺CD28⁺ cells (11.7, 4.5-24.0) and a lower cell-surface expression of Fcγ-R/CD16 on monocytes (56.5, 22.0-130.0). The plasma HIV-1 RNA levels demonstrated detectable RNA virus loads in 57% of the HIV-1⁺ female partners. These findings demonstrate an activation profile in both CD4 and CD8 peripheral T cells from HIV-1 exposed seronegative individuals of serodiscordant couples from a referral centre in Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório Central, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Luiza
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Victor Hugo
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Agdemir Waléria
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Aleixo
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Lúcia Fernandes
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Aleixo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Anatomia Patológica e Medicina Legal, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Antônio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pascoal-Xavier
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Rafaela Oliveira
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Laís Alves
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Willian Cunha
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Domingos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Dirceu Bartolomeu
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Greco
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D003075:Coitus; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D018023:HIV Seronegativity / Q000276:immunology*; D059147:HIV Serosorting; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000276:immunology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000145:classification; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral