Study confirms monocytes and macrophages are part of the viral reservoir

[Jim Allen]

Confirms what was already known. HIV persists in macrophages and can act as a viral reservoir.

POZ.com writeup: https://www.poz.com/article/hiv-can-persist-years-myeloid-cells-people-antiretroviral-therapy

In Brief:

Study confirms monocytes and macrophages are part of the viral reservoir and suggests new target for cure efforts.

A subset of white blood cells, known as myeloid cells, can harbor HIV in people who have been virally suppressed for years on antiretroviral therapy, according to findings from a small study supported by the National Institutes of Health. In the study, researchers used a new quantitative method to show that HIV in specific myeloid cells—short-lived monocytes and longer-lived monocyte-derived macrophages—can be reactivated and infect new cells. The findings, published in Nature Microbiology, suggest that myeloid cells contribute to a long-lived HIV reservoir, making these cells an important but overlooked target in efforts to eradicate HIV.

“Our findings challenge the prevailing narrative that monocytes are too short-lived to be important in cure efforts,” said study author Rebecca Veenhuis, PhD, an assistant professor of molecular and comparative pathobiology and of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore. “Yes, the cells are short-lived, but our follow-up data show that HIV can persist in monocytes over several years in people who are virally suppressed. The fact that we can detect HIV in these cells over such a long period suggests something is keeping the myeloid reservoir going.”

A few related topics:

2018 "On Camera - HIV-Infected Cell Sheds Virus and Leaves" https://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=69692.msg

2017 "Researchers identify a new HIV reservoir" https://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=66105.msg

2016 "HIV active in tissues of patients who were treated, study shows" https://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=64437.msg