The Semen Microbiome and Its Relationship with Local Immunology and Viral Load in HIV Infection

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The classical paradigm of HIV infectivity centers on the blood HIV RNA viral load. However, while other fluid compartments such as semen and cerebrospinal fluid can have distinct viral loads from blood, the causes of localized HIV shedding are not fully understood. Since the semen viral load is an independent predictor of HIV transmission risk, it is critical to understand the local factors that trigger increased semen viral shedding in order to develop novel preventative strategies. Here, we evaluated the semen microbiome, bacterial load, and cytokine levels in 22 HIV-uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM) and in 27 HIV-infected MSM before and after initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). We found that HIV infection reduces semen microbiome biodiversity, which is restored with ART and immune reconstitution. We also found that semen bacterial load in untreated, HIV-infected men is associated with the levels of seven semen cytokines, relationships not seen in the uninfected controls. In particular, the cytokine IL-1b was uniquely correlated with both semen bacterial and viral load. Our findings support the interaction between semen microbiome and local immunology, and suggest that IL-1b could be a mechanism for semen microbiome to trigger semen viral shedding.

Vyšlo v časopise: The Semen Microbiome and Its Relationship with Local Immunology and Viral Load in HIV Infection. PLoS Pathog 10(7): e32767. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1004262
Kategorie: Research Article
prolekare.web.journal.doi_sk: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1004262

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