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Disturbance of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue is associated with disease progression in chronic HIV infection

Hofer, Ursula ; Speck, Roberto

In: Seminars in Immunopathology, 2009, vol. 31, no. 2, p. 257-266

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    Title
    • Disturbance of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue is associated with disease progression in chronic HIV infection
    Author
    • Hofer, Ursula. Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Speck, Roberto. Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:310425
    Summary
    Why and how HIV makes people sick is highly debated. Recent evidence implicates heightened immune activation due to breakdown of the gastrointestinal barrier as a determining factor of lentiviral pathogenesis. HIV-mediated loss of Th17 cells from the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) impairs mucosal integrity and innate defense mechanisms against gut microbes. Translocation of microbial products from the gut, in turn, correlates with increased immune activation in chronic HIV infection and may further damage the immune system by increasing viral and activation-induced T cell death, by reducing T cell reconstitution due to tissue scarring, and by impairing the function of other cell types, such as γδ T cells and epithelial cells. Maintaining a healthy GALT may be the key to reducing the pathogenic potential of HIV