ISSN:
1365-3083
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Following primary infection with human immundeficiency virus (HIV)-1, antibodies against specific HIV-1 epitopes are elicited. However, non-HIV-1 specific antibodies, including autoantibodies, also arise. In fact, it has been proposed that such autoantibodies have an important role in the pathogenesis of HIV-1 infection. Because an imbalance in connectivity has been associated with autoimmune processes, we investigated the connectivity status of HIV-1-infected individuals. Moreover, we tested the possible role of viral load and CD4+ T-cell counts, in connectivity, because these parameters appear to be important in the prognosis of HIV-1 infection. Results show that indeed, there is an alteration in connectivity in these patients, both for immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgM, which is an immune alteration not previously identified in HIV-1 infection. In addition, our results show that viral load and CD4+ T-cell counts are both equally important in defining the characteristic pattern of connectivity in HIV-1-infected individuals, and that neither is independently responsible for alterations in patient connectivity status.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3083.2000.00812.x
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