HIV and retrovirus

Flaviviruses are a family of RNA viruses that includes many known pathogens, such as Zika virus (ZIKV), West Nile virus (WNV), dengue virus (DENV), and yellow fever virus (YFV). A pseudotype is an artificial virus particle created in vitro by incorporating the flavivirus envelope proteins into the structure of, for example, a retrovirus such as human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1). They can be a useful tool in virology for understanding the biology of flaviviruses, evaluating immune responses, developing antiviral strategies but can also be used as vectors for gene transfer experiments...

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus associated with substantial risk of secondary (often life-threatening) disease for the estimated 10 million to 20 million people infected globally. Despite a clear need, no HTLV-1-specific vaccine or antiretroviral therapy has been developed to date. Instead, existing public and primary health-care interventions inadequately focus on infection prevention and management of secondary diseases. In this Personal View, we discuss the evidence that exists to support the sensitivity of HTLV-1 to antiretroviral therapies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of HIV-1, how this sensitivity is affected by clinically relevant virological and immunological features, and additional practical considerations for the use of antiretroviral therapies in the context of HTLV-1...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: An HIV cure that eliminates the viral reservoir or provides viral control without antiretroviral therapy (ART) is an urgent need in children as they face unique challenges, including lifelong ART adherence and the deleterious effects of chronic immune activation. This review highlights the importance of nonhuman primate (NHP) models in developing an HIV cure for children as these models recapitulate the viral pathogenesis and persistence. RECENT FINDINGS: Several cure approaches have been explored in infant NHPs, although knowledge gaps remain...

Retroviral reverse transcription starts within the capsid and uncoating and reverse transcription are mutually dependent. There is still debate regarding the timing and cellular location of HIV's uncoating and reverse transcription and whether it occurs solely in the cytoplasm, nucleus or both. HIV can infect non-dividing cells because there is active transport of the preintegration complex (PIC) across the nuclear membrane, but Murine Leukemia Virus (MLV) is thought to depend on cell division for replication and whether MLV uncoating and reverse transcription is solely cytoplasmic has not been studied...

A review of the association between microbes and mental illness is performed, including the history, relevant definitions, infectious agents associated with mental illnesses, complex interactive infections, total load theory, pathophysiology, psychoimmunology, psychoneuroimmunology, clinical presentations, early-life infections, clinical assessment, and treatment. Perspectives on the etiology of mental illness have evolved from demonic possession toward multisystem biologically based models that include gene expression, environmental triggers, immune mediators, and infectious diseases...

Neurotropic viruses can infiltrate the CNS by crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) through various mechanisms including paracellular, transcellular, and "Trojan horse" mechanisms during leukocyte diapedesis. These viruses belong to several families, including retroviruses; human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), flaviviruses; Japanese encephalitis (JEV); and herpesviruses; herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and mouse adenovirus 1 (MAV-1). For entering the brain, viral proteins act upon the tight junctions (TJs) between the brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs)...

Translation initiation of the human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) genomic mRNA (vRNA) is cap-dependent or mediated by an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). The HIV-1 IRES requires IRES-transacting factors (ITAFs) for function. In this study, we evaluated the role of the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNPK) as a potential ITAF for the HIV-1 IRES. In HIV-1-expressing cells, the depletion of hnRNPK reduced HIV-1 vRNA translation. Furthermore, both the depletion and overexpression of hnRNPK modulated HIV-1 IRES activity...

Previously, an increase in clinical effectiveness of the antituberculosis treatment (ATT) and antiretroviral therapy (ART) in case of additional immunoglobulin G (IgG) administration in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB)/HIV coinfection was reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of IgG administration in addition to the standard second-line ATT and ART on the humoral immunity status in patients with MDR-TB/HIV coinfection immune deficiency. The study involved 52 patients living with HIV with MDR-TB coinfection and CD4+ lymphocyte cell count below 50 cells/μCL...

N/A.

Despite care and the availability of effective antiretroviral treatment, some human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals suffer from neurocognitive disorders associated with HIV (HAND) that significantly affect their quality of life. The different types of HAND can be divided into asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment, mild neurocognitive disorder, and the most severe form known as HIV-associated dementia. Little is known about the mechanisms of HAND, but it is thought to be related to infection of astrocytes, microglial cells, and macrophages in the human brain...

BACKGROUND: Detection of drug resistance mutations (DRMs) and HIV-1 subtypes ensures effective therapeutic management for HIV-infected individuals. In Gabon, data on DRMs are very little available in the population of people living with HIV (PLHIV) but also among voluntary HIV-positive blood donors. This study aimed to study subtypes and drug resistance mutations (DRMs) in HIV-1 positive volunteer blood donors in Gabon. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the National Transfusion Center (NBTC) of Gabon...

Introduction Long-acting cabotegravir plus rilpivirine has revolutionized the concept of antiretroviral therapy, but as the causes of virologic failure and satisfaction can depend on patient background, real-world data are needed. Methods In this single-center study, we reviewed clinical records of people with HIV who received injectable cabotegravir plus rilpivirine between June 2022 and January 2023. We assessed virological and safety outcomes, including injection site reactions and changes in serum creatinine and cystatin C...

INTRODUCTION: HIV partner notification services (PNS) are highly effective in identifying people living with HIV, but the complex risks and repercussions associated with HIV testing and disclosure must be examined. The benefits of assisting people to learn their HIV status and link with treatment or prevention based on their results must be considered alongside the risks of adverse events or social harms. METHODS: The study team systematically searched the PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Science electronic databases (2015-2021), as well as abstracts from the International AIDS Society Conference (2016-2020) and the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (2015-2020)...

INTRODUCTION: Meningoencephalitis in children poses a diagnostic challenge, as etiology remains unknown for most of patients. Viral metagenomics by shotgun sequencing represents a powerful tool for investigating unknown viral infections related to these cases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a two-year, reference-centre, retrospective study, we investigated the usefulness of viral metagenomics of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for the diagnosis of viral infectious meningoencephalitis in forty seven pediatric patients, forty of them previously tested negative with a routine neurologic panel of viral targets that included herpesvirus 1-3 and enterovirus...

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), the remnants of ancient viral infections embedded within the human genome, and long interspersed nuclear elements 1 (LINE-1), a class of autonomous retrotransposons, are silenced by host epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation. The resurrection of particular retroelements has been linked to biological aging. Whether the DNA methylation states of locus specific HERVs and LINEs can be used as a biomarker of chronological age in humans remains unclear. We show that highly predictive epigenetic clocks of chronological age can be constructed from retroelement DNA methylation states in the immune system, across human tissues, and pan-mammalian species...

Viruses remain a global threat to animals, plants, and humans. The type 1 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) is a member of the retrovirus family and carries an RNA genome, which is reverse transcribed into viral DNA and further integrated into the host-cell DNA for viral replication and proliferation. The RNA structures from the HIV-1 genome provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the viral replication cycle. Moreover, these structures serve as models for designing novel therapeutic approaches...

Viruses cause a large burden of human infectious diseases. During the past 50 years, antivirals have been developed to treat many pathogenic viruses, including herpesviruses, retroviruses, hepatitis viruses, and influenza. Besides being used as treatment, antivirals have shown efficacy for preventing certain viral infections. Following the success in the HIV field, a renewed interest has emerged on the use of antivirals as prophylaxis for other viruses. The development of formulations with extended half-life has pushed further this consideration in persons at risk for a wide range of viral infections...

Gender affirmation may reduce stigma and gender-based discrimination that drive increased behaviors that can lead to HIV in transgender women (TW). For many TW, vaginoplasty is gender affirming, yet has not been previously evaluated with regard to likelihood of HIV . This pilot study of TW aimed to evaluate the influence of gender-affirming vaginoplasty on stigma and the drivers of HIV acquisition. Adult TW without HIV were recruited. Interviewer-administered surveys were used to assess demographics, gender identity stigma, psychosocial factors, importance of and satisfaction with gender affirmation, and behaviors that increase the likelihood of HIV in TW who had either undergone gender-affirming vaginoplasty (TWWV) or who had not (TWWOV)...

It was confirmed that SAMHD1 limits HIV-1 replication. In contrast, Vpx protein in HIV-2 and some simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) can counteract this effect. The possible interaction between SAMHD1 and Vpx was suggested by previous studies, however, there is no data to confirm this interaction. Therefore, this study aimed to study the interaction between two proteins and the properties of Vpx protein for the first time using bioinformatics tools. Vpx and SAMHD1 sequences were obtained from NCBI GenBank...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). The underlying cause of MS is still unknown. Multiple risk factors have been suggested that involve a combination of genetic, environmental, and infectious factors that contribute along with a weakened immune system. There is growing evidence supporting the potential role of viral infections in the development of the disease. Viruses like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), John Cunningham virus (JCV), Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) have been proposed in the pathogenesis of MS...