Highly Attenuated Infection With a Vpr-Deleted Molecular Clone of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1.

Ali, Ayub; Ng, Hwee L; Blankson, Joel N; Burton, Dennis R; Buckheit, Robert W; Moldt, Brian; Fulcher, Jennifer A; Ibarrondo, F Javier et al. · J Infect Dis · 2018

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

A 48-year-old woman was infected with a vpr-defective human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 molecular clone. Seroconversion was markedly delayed, and without treatment she had durably suppressed viremia and normal T-cell levels. Neutralizing antibody and CD8+ T-cell immune responses against HIV-1 were unremarkable. Viral sequences confirmed the source but evolved defective nef, suggesting an unknown mechanistic link to vpr. There were subtle qualitative defects in T and B cells. To our knowledge, this is the only case of human infection with a characterized defective HIV-1 molecular clone, which furthermore recapitulated live-attenuated vaccination in macaque models of HIV-1 vaccine research.

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