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Prevotella timonensis bacteria associated with vaginal dysbiosis enhance HIV-1 susceptibility of vaginal CD4+ T cells.

Nienke H van TeijlingenMarleen Y van SmoorenburgRamin Sarrami ForooshaniEsther M Zijlstra-WillemsJohn L van HammeHanneke BorgdorffJanneke H H M van de WijgertElisabeth van LeeuwenJoris A M Van Der PostKarin StrijbisCarla M S RibeiroTeunis B H Geijtenbeek
Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases (2024)
Dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiome poses a serious risk for sexual HIV-1 transmission. Prevotella spp. are abundant during vaginal dysbiosis and associated with enhanced HIV-1 susceptibility; however, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the direct effect of vaginal bacteria on HIV-1 susceptibility of vaginal CD4+ T cells. Notably, pre-exposure to Prevotella timonensis enhanced HIV-1 uptake by vaginal T cells, leading to increased viral fusion and enhanced virus production. Pre-exposure to antiretroviral inhibitors abolished Prevotella timonensis-enhanced infection. Hence, our study shows that the vaginal microbiome directly affects mucosal CD4+ T cell susceptibility, emphasising importance of vaginal dysbiosis diagnosis and treatment.
Keyphrases
  • hiv positive
  • antiretroviral therapy
  • hiv infected
  • human immunodeficiency virus
  • hiv testing
  • hiv aids
  • hepatitis c virus
  • men who have sex with men
  • hiv infected patients
  • mental health
  • high resolution