A latent HIV reservoir is
a group of immune cells in the body that are infected with HIV but are not
actively producing new HIV.
HIV attacks immune system cells in the body and uses the
cells’ machinery to make copies of itself. After entering the body, HIV inserts
its genetic blueprint into the DNA of an immune system cell, such as a CD4
cell. The infected cell starts producing HIV proteins that act as the building
blocks for new HIV. To find out more about how HIV attacks cells, read the AIDSinfo HIV Life Cycle fact sheet.
Some HIV-infected cells, however, go into a
resting (or latent) state. While in this resting state, the infected cells
don’t produce new HIV.
When HIV infects cells in this way, it can
hide out inside these cells for years, forming a latent HIV reservoir. At any
time, cells in the latent reservoir can become active again and start making
more HIV.
Latent
HIV reservoirs can be found throughout the body, including in the brain, lymph nodes, blood, and
digestive tract.
HIV medicines
reduce the amount of HIV in the body (called the viral
load) by preventing the virus from multiplying. Because the
HIV-infected cells in a latent reservoir aren’t producing new copies of the
virus, HIV medicines have no effect on them.
People with HIV
must take a daily combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV regimen) to keep their viral loads low. If
someone is not taking HIV medicines when the infected cells of the latent
reservoir begin making HIV again, the viral load in the body will start to
increase. That’s why it’s important to continue taking HIV
medicines every day as prescribed, even when viral load levels are low.
Finding ways to
target and destroy latent reservoirs is one of the major challenges facing HIV
researchers. New studies are exploring different strategies for clearing out
reservoirs, including:
·
Using gene
therapy (which means manipulating genes to treat or prevent disease) to cut
out certain HIV genes and inactivate the virus in HIV-infected immune cells.
·
Developing drugs or other methods that reactivate latent HIV reservoirs
so that the immune system or new therapies can effectively eliminate them.
·
Developing approaches that enhance the immune system’s ability to
recognize and clear reactivated latent HIV reservoirs.
Source: https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv-aids/fact-sheets/19/93/what-is-a-latent-hiv-reservoir-
To submit abstracts at STD 2018
conference, please visit: https://std-hiv-aids.cmesociety.com/abstract-submission
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